Making Up for Lost Time
by smackthewarptots
Summary: 6 Years after the Titans split up, what happens when Beast Boy runs in to Raven? (eventual lemon(s), do not read if you are not a fan of adult situations) very strong M. Mainly RaeXBB, some RobXStar later on. (Be sure to check out the tumblr I created for pictures and other things related to the story! The link is on my profile)
1. Chapter 1

Beast Boy's POV

ch1

The heat was unbearable this time of year. Garfield Logan was seated at a cafe in downtown Bludhaven, drinking an iced coffee, and reading the newspaper. Ever since the Titans broke up, nearly 6 years ago, he would scan the newspaper daily, looking for signs of trouble. Mostly what he saw were petty crimes, robberies, some loitering, nothing of consequence. Nothing the police couldn't handle. But every so often he would see something about a villain, something bigger, and it always had Richard's new alias, Nightwing, plastered all over the headlines. "Nightwing Saves the Day!", "The City is Safe, Thanks to Nightwing!". Richard had gone solo after the titans; he had still wanted to fight crime. Truthfully, there was nothing else he could do. Being a hero was just part of who he was, and he didn't know how to be anything else.

Garfield sighed; there was nothing in the paper today. He set his paper down and took a sip of his coffee, surveying the other customers. The door ding-ed as some new customers walked in, a young woman and a young man. At first, Garfield payed them no attention. Then he glanced up at the woman. She looked strangely familiar to him. He watched as they ordered their drinks and took a table adjacent to his. He wracked his mind for where he knew this woman from. Was it his time in GreenPeace? Or when he worked at the local animal shelter? Maybe she had adopted a dog or something. Though truthfully, as he looked at her, she definitely seemed more like a cat person. The he heard her voice. It had been hard to hear over the coffee beans being ground and the drinks being made, as well as the countless other customers having conversations. But the second he heard it he knew. It sent him back 6 years, and he sat there in astonishment. When the Titans split up, they had all gone such different ways. Robing became Nightwing and continued his life as a superhero. Star had gone back to Tamaran, though it was not necessarily because she wanted to. Galfore had become ill and they needed a new leader. Naturally, she was the best option. Cyborg had settled down with Bumble Bee. Garfield hadn't heard from them in years, except for a christmas and birthday card every year. Raven had gone back to Azarath, or so he thought. At least, that was what she had told them.

As Garfield watched, the young man reached out and pushed a strand of Ravens now black hair behind her ear. Garfield realized why he didn't recognize her at first. Not only did she look older, her features more defined, but she was wearing one of the holo-rings Cyborg had made them so many years ago, just like he was. His change was more drastic than hers, though. Green skin had been turned a nicely tanned white. His Green hair was Blonde. His ears were normally shaped and his teeth were no longer sharp. The only thing that he had chosen to keep was his green eyes.

He studied Raven from his seat. There was no gem on her forehead, only flawless pale skin. Her hair was no longer lavender, but a beautiful shade of black. Her hair was the same length as before, at least that hadn't changed, even if everything else about her had. He strained to listen over the sound of the bustling cafe.

"I don't know Luke, it's not that I don't want to, honestly." Raven was saying as she doodled something on her napkin with a pen she had pulled from her purse.

"Look, I'm not going to force you to do anything, I just thought it would be nice to get out of the city for once. I mean all we ever do is go to work, come home, eat, sleep, nothing. Wouldn't you like a change? Wouldn't it be fun to go somewhere we've never been?" He had reached over and put his hand on hers, effectively ending whatever she had been scribbling on the napkin. She looked up at him thoughtfully

"Where would we even go? And where would we get the money in a recession like this? Our bonuses were half of what they were last year." She sighed and pulled her hand out from under his, looking out the window.

"I've got some money saved for emergencies." he replied, reaching up and pulling her face gently back to look at him. she looked skeptically at him.

"Then shouldn't you save that for an actual emergency?" She demanded. He chuckled a bit.

"Rachel this is an emergency! Seriously I think I'm going to die if I don't get a break from this monotony!" He tugged at the end of her sleeve and looked at her pleadingly.

"You can be so overdramatic sometimes I swear!" she sighed like she was exasperated, but her eyes looked playful. "Fine. Look this isn't a yes, this is an 'I'll consider it'."

"Babe that's all I need." He stood up to leave, picking up his empty drink and tossing it in the trash can. "Am I staying at your place tonight or are you coming to mine?"

"I can't, I have this thing I have to finish for work. I'll see you tomorrow for lunch though, right?" she remained seated, her tea was still half full.

"Yeah of course" He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead, "just think about it, kay?"

"I will."

Raven sat and watched the man leave. She returned to drinking her tea and doodling on the napkin.

Garfield stood up, ready to go talk to her. He started to walk over but then stopped. 'If she wanted to talk to me she would have called. It's been years, she's disguised, she clearly does not want to be found.'

Just as he was about to turn around and leave, Raven stood up and knocked in to him, spilling her tea down the front of his shirt.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry I-" she stopped and stared at him. At first she looked confused, and then she looked down right surprised.

"... Gar.. Garfield?" She asked hesitantly.

"Hey Rae, how've you been?"


	2. Chapter 2

Raven's POV

Raven's eyes were as big as saucers as she stared up at him. He looked so much taller, and his shoulders were broader, and his jawline was more defined.

"I- you know I've been good I.. I have been uh-" She stumbled over her words clumsily. It was unlike her to be at a loss for words or nervous. She mentally smacked herself. 'Come on Raven this is the first time seeing him in 6 years and you are acting like a fool!'

"Um, how have you been, Gar?" She looked up at his handsome face. Though he was perfectly attractive as a human, she found herself missing his green skin and hair. 'At least his eyes are the same', she thought.

"Really good, I'm sorry I startled you like this, I just saw you sitting over here and wanted to uh.. say hi? You know?"

Raven realized he looked nervous. Just as nervous as she did.

"I.. I'm glad you did." She gave him the tiniest hint of a smile.

"Look, I understand if you're busy, but do you think maybe we could go somewhere and talk?" He gave her that smile she had always loved.

"I.. this is a really bad time. You see I've got this-"

"No really, it's fine I get it if you don't want to. I mean you would have called if you wanted to, right?"

"Gar it's not that I really do have something... Look, I have to go now.. but will you meet me for dinner?" She looked at him hopefully.

"Uh, Yeah. Definitely. Where do you wanna meet?"

"How about... that bistro across the street?"

"Sure, want me to make reservations?"

"You don't need to do that." She looked down at her feet, then quickly back up to him.

"Oh, How come?"

"I'm.. I'm seeing the guy who owns it." she looked back down at her feet. "well not just it, he owns lots of things. Restaurants, Bookstores, Clinics.."

"Oh, well that's.. nice." He glanced at the expensive looking restaurant across the street. "Well, I'll see you tonight Rae."

"Does 8 Work for you?"

"Sure."

She turned to leave and then stopped. "Really Gar, thank you for saying something. "

He smiled at her, "It's been too long."


	3. Chapter 3

Beast Boy's POV

He sat at the table in the bistro waiting for Raven. When he came in he had been led to a quiet secluded table in the back of the restaurant, reserved for V.I.P. guests. Apparently many famous people frequented the restaurant. He glanced at his watch, Raven was 20 minutes late. Maybe she had changed her mind.. Maybe she wasn't coming after all. He decided to wait for another 10 minutes before he left.

The sun had set, and it was dark outside. He looked out the window, checking his reflection to make sure nothing was out of place. Typically, he didn't care much what other people thought about him, but this was Raven. This was different. Raven was his first real crush. Though Terra had been his first love, and his first time, Raven held a special place in his heart. He knew he couldn't explain it if he tried.. but there was something to be said for unrequited love.

He was completely spaced out, consumed by his thoughts.

"Garfield?"

He realized Raven was standing by him, looking slightly amused.

"Shi- Hey Raven, What's up?" He looked up at her from his seat. He mentally chided himself, 'What's up? Really? You couldn't have thought of anything smoother?'

"I.. call me Rachel." She said calmly, but there was an edge to her voice that he didn't quite understand. He looked at her quizzically.

"It's what I go by now, it's my civilian name. Rachel Roth." she seemed to sense his confusion.

"Oh. So.. does he know about your past? Does he know your real name?" he asked, referring to Luke.

".. No. He doesn't. And I really want to keep it like that." She took the seat across from him, and picked up the wine menu. "Honestly, I don't know why I even look at the menus here, I always get the same thing." She glanced up at him, "How do you feel about white wine? I've never been much of a red wine kind of girl," she mused almost to herself.

"Uh, yeah. If you want some. But those wines look pretty expensive Rae.. chel," he stumbled over her name, earning a wary glance from her.

"Well, I guess I forgot to mention this, but.. but Luke and I are pretty serious. We won't have to pay for anything tonight." She didn't make eye contact with him, even though he never took his eyes off her. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Though he had been with plenty of women since leaving the Titans, it still made him a little uncomfortable to think of her with another man.

"I see. That's.. convenient." He tried to sound nonchalant about it, but she looked up at him. He could never read her, not 6 years ago and definitely not now.

"Gar I-"

Just then the waiter came up. "Hello Miss Roth, how are you this evening," the waiter said with a warm smile"

"Wonderful as ever Karl," she smiled her typical smile, "and you?"

"Well I'm doing better now that you're here" He said earnestly, "what can I get you both started with?"

"A bottle of Chardonnay, and the fried calamari to start." Raven handed him the wine menu.

"I'll be right back Miss Roth."

As soon as Karl left Raven's eyes were on Garfield.

"Gar.. It's not that I don't appreciate you saying something this afternoon.. but why did you? We haven't spoken in so long.." She sounded almost sad.

"What do you mean why? I missed you. I've been missing you. 6 years of missing you, Rae. I don't know why you never called. Especially since you've been in Bludhaven all along. I mean, why did you never reach out to any of us?" He tried not to let her see the hurt in her eyes, though he was sure he wasn't doing a good enough job.

"I.. I did." She said quietly, looking down at her hands which were resting in her lap.

"What? I never got a call..?"

"Not you, Gar. Just.. just the others."

He definitely couldn't hide the hurt, which was apparent on his face. His brow knitted together, and he ran a hand through his hair. "Damn. Ok.. Care to tell me why you kept in contact with everyone but me then?" he searched her face for any emotion, but she was still staring at her hands.

Suddenly Karl was back with the wine, and he immediately poured both of them a glass. He set the calamari down as well. "Have you both decided what you want for your entree's?"

"The usual, Karl, thank you." she handed him the menu, still not making eye contact with Garfield.

"And for you, sir?"

"I- Uh, I'll have the greek salad and the sauteed vegetables."

"Excellent choice sir." Karl lifted the menu from Garfield's hands and left.

"Rav- Rachel." He leaned forward slightly, resting his arm on the table. "Why?"

"I couldn't..bring myself to." She finally looked up at him and he saw the pained expression on her face.

"Why on earth not? Did I do something to upset you?" He was searching her eyes for an answer, but she only looked sad.

"Can we not do this now?" She pleaded quietly.

"Now is as good a time as any." He replied, not wanting to let her drop the subject. She looked out the window and brushed her hair behind her ear. It was then he noticed how beautiful she looked. Her Hair was pulled back on one side with a small black pin with a purple gem, and she was wearing an amethyst necklace. Her makeup was subtle, but enough to show she had tried. She was wearing a form fitting black dress with a high neckline, but a plunging back. Everything she wore was simple, but so elegant. He wanted to reach out and touch her, but he knew that would be out of line.

She looked back at him, noticing him staring at her. "What?"

"Do you know.." he started, and then thought better of it. "Never mind." He looked down at his glass of wine, debating how much he really wanted to drink tonight. With the way the conversation was going, he definitely felt like getting drunk. But at the same time, he didn't want to waste any time he had with her.

"Come home with me." she said, taking a sip of her wine.

"What?" He asked, slightly startled.

"We can talk in private. I don't want to talk here, my boyfriend owns this place, he has ears everywhere." She took another, this time bigger, sip of her wine.

"Yeah, ok Rae. If that's what you want."

"Let's just get through this dinner, ok?"

Then their food was placed in front of them. the rest of the meal passed in near silence.

It wasn't until the end, that Garfield realized Raven had drunk most of the bottle of wine herself.


	4. Chapter 4

Raven's POV

She realized all too late that she was a little too drunk for what was sure to come when they went back to her apartment. She was already too drunk for what was happening now, let alone the conversation that awaited.

"Garfield," She said, with a barely noticeable slur, "Do you have a car?"

"I have a bike" He replied, then when she looked amused he clarified, "A motorcycle, I mean. Why?"

"Luke dropped me off, and taxi's are so expensive." She pulled a 50 dollar bill from her purse and slid it onto the table for Karl's tip.

"You can ride with me, if you'd like."

"Sure, why not. I rode on Robin's, excuse me, Nightwing's Bike all the time back.. then." He could tell she didn't know how to address their past, and truthfully, neither did he.

"Ok, let me pull around." they walked to the front of the Restaurant, Raven slightly wobbly.

"you sure you can handle this Rachel?" he asked, clearly concerned.

"I trust you not to let me fall." She said, a hint of a smile on her face.

Raven waited as he came around the corner on his bike, and she couldn't help but notice how sexy he looked. Luke was never like that, he was sexy in his own way, but never like that. Luke was a business man. A man that took himself seriously. A man who had a suit for every day of the week and shoes to match. There was a ruggedness to Garfield that almost left her breathless.

"Hop on" he said, holding out his hand. She took it, and climbed on behind him. He smelled so good, like citrus and something musky. She leaned her head against his back and held on to his waist. She was surprised to feel he still had a 6 pack. It wasn't as if she expected him to be out of shape, but it had been 6 years and as far as she knew he was no longer in the hero business.

"So.. sexy" Raven mumbled, completely slurring this time.

"What was that?" He asked, looking at her through his side mirror. But she didn't respond, so he started his engine. "Rachel, I don't know how to get to your place."

"You know the apartments on Weston Boulevard?" She asked, Yawning slightly.

"The really, really, expensive ones?" He replied.

"Yeah, those."

"Let me guess, Luke owns that too?" He suddenly felt very under accomplished. Though he was a Titan that had saved the world on multiple occasions, he was nowhere near as successful as Luke.

"Yeah, Luke owns those too."

Garfield decided not to say anything, and instead took off down the street.

They soon arrived to the apartments, and he helped a very drunk Raven off the back of his bike.

She stumbled a bit on the way up the front stairs and he caught her quickly.

"My hero" she joked, pinching his cheek lightly. He stood her up and rubbed his cheek. She was much drunker than he first thought. Raven pushed the button for the elevator and leaned against the wall, watching Garfield.

"Yes?" he asked, wondering why she was staring.

"You've really grown up, Gar. You're not a boy anymore"

"Just like you aren't a girl. I mean, Raven, It' s been 6 years. I am no longer 20 and you are no longer 18." He studied her, and when the elevator ding-ed, announcing its arrival, he helped her in. She pushed the button for the top floor, which happened to be the 25th.

She rested against him in the elevator until they got to the top. She led him to her apartment at the end of the hall. She was fumbling a bit with her keys, until Garfield took them out of her hands.

"Which one?" he asked.

"The brass one" she replied.

He pushed the key in to the lock and led her into the apartment.

"Garfield?"

"Yeah Raven?"

"I'm so sorry." she murmured, dropping down onto the couch. She kicked her 5 inch heels off and began to rub her feet.

"For.. Ignoring me?"

"No. Well, Yes that too. But I'm mainly sorry for.." She stopped and fiddled with her necklace, contemplating whether to complete her current thought.

"For what?"

"can you help me get out of this dress? I cannot reach the zipper" She tried, in vain, to grasp the zipper behind her.

"uh, sure" Garfield said nervously. He walked over and sat down next to her, taking the toggle of her zipper between his fingers. He slowly pulled it down, and she leaned in to his touch. He put a hand on her shoulder to steady her, and the touch alone made her mind go crazy.

"Raven?"

"Mhmm?"

"Do you need help walking to your room?"

"um.. Possibly?" Suddenly she was very aware of his hands on her, one placed on her hip and the other on her shoulder. She turned around to face him, as one strap on her dress fell down a bit. He glanced at it, and pulled it back up.

"Here, lean on me" He said, pulling her up with him. He helped her into her room and she collapsed on to the bed. Garfield watched her, unsure of what to do.

"Can you just bring my some clothes, if you go in to the first drawer on my dresser there should be some t-shirts and some bottoms."

"Sure," He walked over to the dresser and pulled the first drawer open. He blushed, and was happy she couldn't see his face. "Uh, Rae, that was your underwear drawer."

"Shit, oh shit I'm sorry. I meant the first drawer on the right." She propped herself up on her elbows, feeling immediately like an idiot. he opened the other drawer and pulled out a pair of soft black shorts, and a grey t-shirt with 'Coors Lite' written on it. He walked back over to the bed and handed them to her.

"Thanks." she said, taking them and sitting up. "Um, could you maybe turn around?" she said a little bashfully.

"Yeah, sorry" he murmured, turning around quick. He looked around the room, studying the surroundings. She watched him as she got dressed. She pulled off her holo-ring, setting it on the bedside table.

"You can turn around now Garfield."


	5. Chapter 5

Gar's POV

When he turned around he smiled. Raven looked like Raven again. Her Gem was on her forehead, and her hair was the familiar shade of lavender. She was staring up at him with those big beautiful dark eyes and he melted a little bit. He sat down next to her and rolled up his sleeves. He suddenly wished he had brought a change of clothes, he was quite tired of the white button up and blue tie he was wearing, as well as the dress pants and loafers. He decided to make himself at least a little more comfortable and kicked off his shoes and undid his tie. All the while Raven watched him. He felt her gaze as he unbuttoned the first 3 buttons on his shirt.

"Gar.."

"Yeah?"

"Can you do something for me?" She asked, tugging lightly on the edge of his sleeve.

"Sure" He replied, looking down at her.

"Can you take off your ring? I.. I miss how you used to be." He was taken aback by her request. He had expected a 'can you get me a glass of water', or a 'can you help me in to bed?'

"yeah, of course." He slid the ring off his finger, pushing it in to his pocket. When he looked up she was staring intently at him. "What? Raven what is it?"

"You should never put that ring on" she said quietly, he almost didn't hear it.

"Do you not like me human?" he asked, a little self conscious at the idea of her not finding him attractive as a human.

"No! That's not it at all, you are very handsome Gar. It's just.. well it's just that this is the way I know you. This is how I always remember you. When I think of you, I think of your Green Hair and skin, not blonde and tan." She reached out a hand hesitantly, and pushed it through his hair gently. "you're just.. more you. This way. This just seems right."

Now he was blushing, for the second time that night. "I feel the same way about you Raven. You Hair is so beautiful I-" He stopped when he saw the look on her face, "I'm sorry, did I upset you?"

"You.. you think i'm beautiful?" she asked, her voice small and quiet.

"I always have" He replied, reaching for her hand. But before he could take it, she pulled away, her expression unreadable. He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, I-"

"No, don't be." She looked at him, almost shy.

"Look, I need to know. Why did you not call me? Or write to me? Or send a smoke signal for god's sake. You were my family Rae, and I thought I was yours."

"You were! You are.. I-" she stopped again, and he could tell she was holding back. She was clearly having trouble saying what she needed to say.

"Come on Raven. Don't hide from me, not anymore. I'm here and I want to know you again. I've missed you and you've been in the same city all along? How can you expect me not to wonder?"

"look I know it's messed up, I know I haven't handled this the best way, I'm just..."

"For the love of.. Can you not do this?" he was truly exasperated. She wasn't telling him anything, they were going nowhere.

"Do what?"

"Talk yourself in circles. I'm not a fucking child anymore Rae I'm a man I can handle whatever it is you have to say."

She studied him and sighed, giving in. She knew sooner or later the truth would come out anyways.

"Honestly Gar, you want to know why?"

"truly."

"It was because I fell in love with you. I couldn't bring myself to try to talk to you after we went our separate ways because I was scared."

He stared at her, dumbfounded. He tried to absorb what she just said, tried to make sense of it. "why.. why did you never say anything?"

"It was just a crush at first, and by the time I realized what it really was you were with Terra. And then she broke your heart and I.. I didn't want to be your rebound. That is, if you even felt the same way, which you obviously didn't." She was staring at her hands again, not looking at him at all.

"Raven. It never would have been like that, I-" she cut him off.

"I know, you couldn't have felt the same. I understand I was your creepy loner teammate, it's just that-"

"Would you let me finish?" She blushed a bit, looking embarrassed.

"Sorry.."

"What I was going to say is, it never would have been like that because you could never be just a rebound. Not to me at least. I don't think you understand how perfect you are." Her head shot up to look at him in surprise.

"I am far from perfect. I'm the farthest from perfect that is possible. I'm a half demon that almost destroyed the world. I am nowhere close to perfect. I'm so fucke-"

And then he couldn't help himself, he kissed her.


	6. Chapter 6

Rae's POV

Suddenly his lips were on hers, and she almost fell over onto the bed. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew this was wrong, and she should stop for Luke's sake. Raven wasn't one to cheat. After everything with Malchior she wasn't a fan of any sort of betrayal.

Yet, she couldn't seem to stop her arms from wrapping around his neck, and her lips from parting for his tongue, and her hips from pressing against his. She lost all thoughts, all her ideas of what was right and the only thing she saw was him. The only thing that mattered was him. He quickly pulled back and stared at her.

"Shit Rae I'm sorry that was way out of line I didn't mean to-"

"Shut up" She murmured, pushing her face up to his to kiss him again, but he pushed her back down.

"Raven I don't want to come in between anything you have right now, you are very much with someone, and I don't want to mess with that."

She looked at him, searching his face. "I.. I don't really care about Luke. I mean, I do, But not like I do for you. You know that, right? You.. I have loved you for as long as I can remember and then some. All the other men I've been with have been.. distractions."

"I just don't want to mess up your life if you are just going to go right back to-"

"Garfield. What do you feel for me?" there was a bit of an edge to her voice.

"I.. The truth is I haven't thought about you in a very long time. Not because you didn't mean something to me, but because you were doing your own thing. Like I said, I figured if you wanted to see me you would have contacted me. You were going on with your life and I was getting on with mine. There was no point to me wondering about you because I thought nothing could ever happen. I never dreamed you would be in the same city Rae. Not only that, but your place is literally a couple streets over from my flat. If I had known you were so close.. I would have done something. I wouldn't have tried to forget you, because the honest to god truth is I've never met anyone like you in my life. We may not have been together ever, but I always thought of you that way. You were always more than a friend to me. I wish I could say I loved you back then but my head was so caught up in Terra that I.. well I couldn't really think of anyone else. And then after her, all I wanted was meaningless sex. I didn't want a relationship. And you always meant too much to me to try anything like a one night stand."

She ran a hand through her hair. She had been watching him carefully, studying the way his mouth moved when he spoke, the way his eyes looked when he said her name.

"I know Terra really fucked you up Gar. I'm truly sorry, I know how much she meant to you." she reached out and touched his arm.

"I could say the same for you about Malchior. He broke your heart and I know how alone you felt. I wish I hadn't been so stuck in my own damn head, I wish I could have helped you." He took her hand in his. His hand was so much bigger, and calloused from years of training.

"I guess everybody has someone.." She whispered, her eyes locked on his. "listen, you aren't messing up what I have. Luke is a good guy but he's not.. not long term. He can't know about my past and I can't stay forever. I never have been able to stay in a relationship for very long. I always run away. I'm too.. closed off. I'm too cold." She scooted a little closer. "He doesn't.. understand me like you do. Garfield, we basically grew up together. We know each other so well, I.." she stopped when she realized he was staring at her lips. She bit down on the bottom one and he groaned a bit, his eyes darting back up to hers. She looked amused.

"Have you been paying attention to what I've been saying?"

"Yeah.. It's just you look so damn sexy right now, and I'm really trying to do the right thing by you, but Rae your lips are so perfect I just want to kiss you and never stop". She looked up at him, she hadn't realized how close they had gotten. She could almost taste him and it drove her crazy.

"Then what the fuck are you waiting for?" She said, grabbing his loosened tie and bringing his face against hers.

And then she was lost in his kiss, her tongue pushing it's way into his mouth, his hands burying in her hair, her legs moving to straddle his hips. She pushed him down against the bed and grinded her hips against his. He let out a low moan and let his head fall back against the pillow. She smiled at the sight.

She then made quick work of his shirt, unbuttoning it and pulling it, along with the tie, off. She leaned down and kissed his neck, taking in his scent. She already loved the way he smelled. She had loved it back when they were teenagers, but there was something distinctly.. man about it now. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on. She kissed down his chest to his abs, all the while he held his breath. She slowly undid his belt, making eye contact with him as she pulled down his zipper. The look in his eyes was perfect. She wished she could take a picture right then.

She then pulled off his pants and boxers, and took him in her hand. She stroked him a couple times before slowly taking him into her mouth. He let out a guttural moan that excited her immensely. She felt herself getting wetter as he bucked his hips against her mouth. Suddenly he pulled her up to him.

"Rae, I'm not gonna last if you keep doing that." She gave him an amused look. "Plus," he added, "You are wearing entirely too many clothes." He grinned at her, and pulled up the hem of her shirt.


	7. Chapter 7

Gar's POV

He tugged her shirt up and over her head, and she lifted her arms to help him out. He tossed the shirt to the ground and stared at her. She was wearing a black lacy bra, and though it looked wonderful, all he could think about was taking it off.

As if she read his mind, she lifted her hand and surrounded the clasp of her bra in black energy, taking it off and levitating it to the ground. He couldn't help but smile, he had missed that part of her. He leaned over her and pulled down her shorts. He was surprised to see she wasn't wearing any panties. He looked up at her, slightly amused.

"They are just so unnecessary at night, you know?" she quipped, looking a little embarrassed. He couldn't help but chuckle at that. He sat back and looked at her, layed out on the bed for him.

"What?" she asked, a hint of nervousness in her voice. He smiled.

"You're just the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." He said, admiring the curve of her waist and the swell of her breasts. He noticed she sucked in a quick breath at that and looked down at herself.

"Now, I don't believe that for one second."

He frowned. "Then I guess I'll just have to convince you." He crawled across the bed until he was hovering over her, and leaned down to kiss her lips. He rested his arms on either side of her head so as not to put his full weight on her. He moved until his face was in the curve of her neck, kissing her softly, "You're beautiful. You're perfect."

She moaned as he sucked on the sensitive spot right at the base of her neck. "you don't know what you're talking about" She whispered, and he pulled back to look at her. He almost looked angry.

"Don't I? I've only grown up watching you. I've been with plenty of women Raven. None of them compare to you."

"Not even Terra?" She said as quietly as she could. And as soon as she said it, she wished she hadn't. The look on his face was enough to make her regret this entire night.

"Raven..." He pressed his forehead against hers. "Don't you understand? I was transfixed by you from the moment I saw you. Terra was wonderful. She was a great person, and a great girlfriend. And it wasn't that she wasn't beautiful, because she was. But I never looked at her like I looked at you. You Have this energy about you. You were just always so in your own head that you didn't notice when I stared at you; when I watched you. Everyone else did, but you didn't." He watched as her brow knitted and she closed her eyes.

"Why didn't you ever say anything. I thought you didn't notice me.. I thought you thought of me like a sister."

He chuckled and leaned down so his lips were against her ear, "Well Raven, I can honestly tell you I would never want to fuck my sister."

His hot breath sent a shudder through her and she turned so her face was in his hair. "I don't want to talk anymore Gar."

He reached down between them and positioned himself, ready to push in, when her doorbell rang.

"Shit.. just ignore it." She whispered, pulling his face down to kiss her. He pulled back before their lips touched as the doorbell ding-ed again.

"Rae you should check that." He sat up and grabbed her shorts and shirt off the floor and tossed them to her, which she caught deftly.

"Fine." She stood up and started to walk, pausing to look back at him when she reached the doorway of he bedroom. An then she turned and walked out the room to the front door. As he watched her leave, he Studied the curve of her back, her shirt riding up as she walked. He flopped back onto the bed sighing. He rolled over onto his stomach and picked his pants up off the edge of the bed and pulled them on, kicking his legs in the air as he did so.

Suddenly he heard Raven's voice from the other room, "Luke! What- What are you doing here? I thought I told you I had this work thing." He could hear the slight panic in her voice and he jumped up, pulling on his shirt and shoes.

He looked around locating the window. He walked as quickly as he could without making noise to the ledge, and cursed when he realized the window was sealed shut. After all, this was the 25th floor, it was probably unsafe to have openable windows this high. His animal hearing picked up Raven's almost whispers.

"That's really sweet of you, really luke, to check up on me, but I really need to get this finished." He could hear her footsteps, and her breathing, and realized she was getting consistently more panicked.

"I just figured with how hard you've been working you could take a break, maybe spend a little time with your man?" His voice was smooth and kind.

"Really, I wish I could but I've just got too much to-" She was cut off by a quick shuffling sound and she let out a startled yelp. "Luke put me down!" she exclaimed, and Garfield could hear her tiny hands smacking against Luke's back. 'He must have picked her up over his shoulder', Gar thought to himself. He didn't have much time to think, though, because it was then that he realized the footsteps were coming towards the bedroom. He then did the only thing he could think to do, change in to a fly. He flew up to the ceiling and perched there, hoping Raven would be able to get him out quickly so he could leave. Raven's voice was getting increasingly angrier as she begged Luke to put her down and not go in her room. He did not responded to either request, and walked in to her room, shutting the door, and promptly dropping her on the bed. Garfield could see the look of shock on Raven's face as she looked quickly around the room. She looked absolutely confused, and Garfield had to admit it was adorable. She focused again on Luke.

"Babe, can we not tonight? I'm just really stressed right now." She was looking up at him, propped up on her elbows on the bed.

"Let me take your mind off of it." He said in a low sultry voice. He climbed over her, pulling off his shirt and tossing it to the ground. He made a move to take off hers and she jumped a bit at his touch.

"Really Luke please, not tonight" She pleaded, but Luke showed no interest in letting up.

Garfield flew down to the base of the door, trying to see if he could squeeze through the bottom. But this door was not like most doors. This door had a rubber strip along the bottom, making it impossible to leave. He turned around and cursed in dread as he realized he might have to watch Raven and Luke fuck right in front of him.


	8. Chapter 8

Rae's POV

Luke was crouching over her, running his hands along her body. She had to admit it was turning her on. She kept her eyes searching around the room, but she could not find Gar. 'Maybe he got out through a vent?' She hoped to herself.

"Baby what's wrong, you're barely looking at me." Luke sounded almost annoyed, but there was a hint of concern in his voice.

"I told you, I'm just really stressed right now" Raven held eye contact with him. She was afraid if she looked away he would pry further, which she definitely didn't want.

"You've never turned down sex before Rachel. You have always wanted to, even when you've been stressed. Is there something you're not telling me?" She could tell he would not drop it unless she gave him something to shut him up.

"Luke, it's nothing. You're right, come take my mind off of it." She smiled up at him, and that was all the invitation he needed. His hands were on her, pulling her shorts off and discarding them on the floor. She tugged her shirt over her head and before she could even get it off his lips were on her stomach. He yanked her shirt the rest of the way off and pushed her so she was laying flat on the bed. She fell back, letting out a small noise of surprise. He leaned down and kissed her lips, then her jawline, then began to make his way down to her breasts. He took one nipple in his mouth and she let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. His fingers reached down between her legs and he rubbed her gently. She felt herself becoming increasingly wet under his touch.

He sat back up and kicked his pants and boxers off, and then climbed back into bed. He was on his knees and he grabbed her by her hips, flipping her so she was on her stomach. He pulled her up so she was on all fours, and gently pushed her head so it was against her mattress. He paused, and she felt his eyes on her, taking in the sight. She heard him chuckle in appreciation. Before she could say anything though, He shoved himself all the way in her, and she let out a soft cry. He started slowly, rocking his hips against her ass almost gently. She sighed and started to push back against him, meeting his thrusts. As much as she wasn't in the mood at first, she had to admit to herself she was loving it.

Without warning, Luke grabbed her hips and began pounding in to her, earning a loud moan from Raven. She felt her orgasm approaching, and called out Luke's name.

This only encouraged Luke more, as he reached over and entwined his fingers in her short locks, yanking her head back. With that action, she came, her walls clenching around him. She cried out and collapsed on the bed as he finished seconds after her. He collapsed on top of her, his chest against her back. Slowly, he pulled out of her and rolled over. "Love you Rae" Luke murmured as he closed his eyes, sleep soon finding him.

Raven sat up, putting her head in her hands as she calmed herself. That was.. too much for her tonight. She grabbed Luke's shirt from the ground and walked to the door. She opened the door as quietly as she could, and closed it behind her. When she turned around, she was face-to-chest with Garfield.

And he was mad.


	9. Chapter 9

Gar's POV

Mad was an understatement. Garfield was seething.

"What. The. Fuck. Raven." He annunciated each word.

"I.. I thought you got out? Were you there? The whole time?" She gulped. She looked very panicked.

'She should be.' He thought to himself.

"How the fuck would I get out Rae, your damn windows don't open and your fucking door doesn't have a crack at the bottom to crawl out under. What the fuck did you think I did?" He kept his voice low so as not to wake Luke, But he definitely wanted to yell. This was not what he signed up for. He simply had wanted to rekindle a friendship with someone he missed, not watch the girl he had feelings for get fucked by her boyfriend. "So what, is that it now? You couldn't fuck me so you just jumped on him?" Raven looked like she had been slapped, and she dropped her eyes to her feet, suddenly becoming very interested in the floor pattern.

"That's not it" She murmured.

"Then what the hell is it?" His voice rose a little and her eyes shot back up to his, glaring.

"Keep your voice down! Do you really want to deal with him tonight?" She hissed.

"No offense to him Rae, but I really think I could handle him." He scoffed, but looked hesitantly at the door.

"I didn't say you couldn't" She said angrily.

"I don't want to talk about Luke. I want to talk about why you thought it was ok to sleep with him in front of me. Were you trying to make me jealous?" He grabbed her arm, not enough to hurt but enough to startle her. She yanked her arm away and glared at him. He was thankful they were older and more mature, because had he tried to pull something like that back during their time as Titans, he surely would have been injured.

Instead of inflicting bodily harm on him, she spoke, her voice slightly shaky, "First of all, I wasn't really thinking. It all happened so fast, and I truly thought you had left. I would never have let that happen if I knew you were there." She paused, "You're jealous?" she asked, her voice a little less angry than before, almost amused.

"I- That's not the point!" Garfield exclaimed, walking over to the couch and slumping down.

"I really, really think it is Gar." She spoke so quietly that if he weren't partly animal he wouldn't have been able to hear it. He looked up, and saw she had been watching him. He couldn't read her expression, and He felt like a teenager again. Inexperienced, and a little naive. Raven had always made him feel that way. Not because she had ever tried to, but because she was just naturally so far ahead of him. Though he was older, she had always been more mature, more aware, more... adult. And now that they were both actually adults, he still felt a little stupid. He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair, and then rubbed it over his face. He looked up at her and noticed how disheveled she looked. She really did look like she had just been thoroughly fucked. Her lips were a little swollen from kissing and they had a hint of rasberry coloring to them. Her hair was a mess, her legs were a little shaky, and the animal part of him could smell her arousal.

He patted the spot on the couch next to him, motioning her over. She hesitantly sat down next to him. She looked like a child being scolded.

He rested his elbows against his knees, and watched as she tucked her legs up under her. "Raven I can't do this with you. I'd be happy, no, thrilled, if you wanted to start seeing each other. But I'm not gonna be the other man for you." He watched her, she was refusing to look at him again. He reached out and brushed her hair behind her ear, and then pulled her face over to look at him. "Please don't think I don't want to be with you. Because I do. But I also understand how seriously fast this is moving, and I understand you're with him. If what you have with him right now is really working for you, don't drop it just for me." He tried to sound resolute, but he was sure he sounded sad. She just stared at him. He started to feel uncomfortable. He glanced back to her bedroom door and then back to her. "would you please just say something?" He pleaded quietly.

"I.. It's just that I don't know how we would possibly work. We were friends so long ago, and yes, back then we knew each other very well. But so much has happened in between. What if it's not the same?" She asked sincerely, looking absolutely defeated.

"Well I can tell you right now it definitely won't be the same." She looked startled by his admonition, and searched his face. "I can tell you it won't be the same because we aren't children anymore. We are different people than we were back then, and that's ok. I know who I am now, and I definitely didn't back then. Back then, it never would have worked between us because we had so much growing up to do. But maybe now it could work, now that we.. what? What are you looking at me like that for?" She looked like she was either going to kiss him, or smack him, or maybe even start crying.

"It's just that you... you really have grown up Gar. It's amazing that the adorable boy I knew years ago is sitting in front of me right now. You're so.. different." She blushed a bit, and he realized she was trying, and failing, to subtly check him out. He chuckled.

"Raven. I was always this way, I just hid behind jokes and pranks because I had no idea what the hell I was doing. I was a kid, we were all kids, acting like adults, saving the world. It wasn't as if I could have any 'me time' to figure out who the hell I was. Living in that tower... I do miss it. But It's nice having my own space to do my own thing. I'm sure you understand, you've always kept to yourself."

She nodded, seemingly lost in her thoughts. "I want to be with you Gar, I really do. But maybe we should step back a bit. We literally just started talking today, and we almost slept together. I think that's the epitome of moving too fast."

Garfield chuckled, he knew she was right. "Honestly Raven, I just consider it making up for lost time." He smiled at her, and leaned down to kiss her. she reached up and buried her hands in his hair. One of his hands was on her hip and the other was holding her face against his. The kiss grew more passionate until Raven completely froze.

Garfield pulled away, looking at her. "You ok?"

"He's awake. You have to leave." she stood up, pulling him up with her.

"How can you tell?" he asked incredulously.

"I'm an empath, remember? I can sense him." She started pushing him towards the door. "Come see me tomorrow after work, I'll be here around 6. I'll make something for dinner, we can talk, I promise we will figure this out." She was rushing her words, talking fast as she yanked open the door. Sure enough, his animal hearing picked up Luke standing up from the bed. Garfield could hear the bedsprings creak, Luke's steps on the floorboards, even the change in his breathing.

"Ok Raven, I'll be here tomorrow." He turned to go and then stopped, turning back around fast. He caught her in his arms, and pulled her face to his in an almost rough kiss. He felt her gasp and clutch his arm for balance.

And then he morphed into a fly and was gone.


	10. Author's Note

Author's Note

Hey guys, I just wanted to take a minute and say I really appreciate the reviews, I really do take in to consideration what you say. I am hoping to get a couple more chapters up either tonight or tomorrow morning as well.

Thanks for all the feedback, and please continue to review!

-Meg


	11. Chapter 10

Rae's POV

Raven awoke to the sound of her alarm blaring. She sat up fast and turned to look at it, black energy surrounding the top of the 'off' button, pushing it down and silencing it. She immediately became very aware of several things. The first being her terrible hang over from the night before. The second; she was going to have to see Garfield again tonight, and things could get messy. And third, one of Luke's strong arms was wrapped around her waist, and they were both naked. She sighed and looked down at him. He looked truly peaceful when he was asleep. The only time he didn't look like there was something on his mind, like he had a million things he needed to do, was when he was asleep, or right after sex.

Raven stood up slowly as not to wake Luke and grabbed his shirt off the ground. She walked to the kitchen, pulling his shirt on as she went. She began to make herself a cup of tea, and fished an aspirin out of the bottle on the counter. She sat down on a stool with her tea at the kitchen table and sifted through some papers from work. After leaving the Titans, Raven had planned to go back to Azarath. But something about leaving earth just didn't feel right. She had instead moved to Bludhaven and got a job at one of Luke's many firms. It was a typical 9-to-5 desk job, and she didn't mind it one bit. Meeting Luke had been an accident. She was delivering papers to her boss, and accidentally walked in on a meeting. Her boss was angry at her for interrupting, but Luke had been kind. He had asked her out to dinner, and in a very uncharacteristic way, she had accepted.

During her time with the titans, Raven could never be intimate with anyone physically. Her powers were too dangerous, and she couldn't control them enough. But she was older now, with years of practice. When she first realized she didn't have to be alone anymore, she was with a different guy every night. She spent months making up for years of celibacy. And then she started seeing Luke, and it was different. He commanded respect, and he owned half of Bludhaven, and parts of Gotham. He was intense, and interesting, and he swept her off her feet... at first.

And then came the monotony of life. They both got busy at their jobs, they spent less time actually talking, and more time fucking. They tried to have a date night at least once a week, but even that got difficult between Luke's constant business trips out of the city and Raven's dedication to her job. She was always clocking in extra hours, putting in extra work. She was what her bosses considered a triple-threat: Beautiful, smart, and successful. She was just shy of her 3rd promotion. Though some people speculated that her rapid success was because she was with Luke; Raven chose to ignore them. She knew Luke looked out for her, sure, but she earned everything she got.

All of the sudden there were arms around her waist and lips were on her neck. Luke breathed in her scent and sighed contentedly. "Good morning sunshine" He said into her hair, nuzzling her lightly. Raven smiled and turned around to face him.

"Glad to see you join the land of the living. How did you sleep?" She tugged at the band on his boxers.

"Great, you?" He replied, running a hand through her hair affectionately.

"Good. I still need to finish this for work, Branson needs it by Monday morning." She was shifting the papers around, her eyes surveying the work she had done so far. Her boss, Branson, was a real stickler about certain things.

"Is this for the modifications on the-"

"No, it's for one of Branson's personal projects." She turned back to face him "Luke I don't wanna talk work right now, I've been so busy it's driving me crazy."

"Have you given any more thought to that vacation?" He asked, his eyes just a little too hopeful. Raven sighed and looked at him.

"Luke I-"

"Hey it's ok, you don't have to decide yet." He said as he leaned down to kiss the top of her head. She stood up and took his hand.

"I have to take a shower, care to join?" She asked, and he chuckled at her.

"In the mood for a quickie, Rachel?" He quipped, and she only smirked, walking in to the other room.


	12. Chapter 11

Gar's POV

Garfield stood outside Raven's apartment building, debating if he should go up. He was a little early, but he didn't think she would care too much. He entered the lobby, waving hello to the doorman. He walked into the elevator and pressed the 25th floor.

'What if this is all a mistake? What if Rae and I really aren't meant to be toge-'

His thoughts were cut short by the elevator chiming, and opening. He stepped out into the hall, and walked up to her door. He took a deep breath and adjusted his shirt nervously. Just as he was about to knock, The door became incased in Raven's black energy and it opened. 'She must have sensed me' He thought to himself.

"Come on in Gar!" he heard Raven call from the kitchen. He walked in and almost laughed at what he saw. Raven was standing in the kitchen, hair clipped back out of her eyes, purple apron tied on, with a smudge of spaghetti sauce on her cheek. She was focusing intently on reading from a cookbook, and looked adorably confused.

"Rae?" He asked tentatively.

"Yeah?" She replied, not looking up from the cookbook.

"You still can't cook, can you?" He tried to stifle the chuckle, but it came out anyways and her head snapped up to look at him. She looked angry, and a little embarrassed.

"I can too! I just.. can't cook spaghetti is all." She looked defeated and rested her head in her hand, elbow on the counter.

"Well lucky for you, I am a pro at making spaghetti." Garfield flashed her a smile and came up beside her, taking the cookbook from her hands, and setting it in front of him. He then reached a hand up and wiped the sauce off her face, bringing his thumb to his mouth and tasting it.

"Needs a little more salt" He stated, ignoring her look of shock. Internally, he was proud of himself for leaving her at a loss for words. God knows there had been plenty of times when she had left him speechless. He set to work fixing the spaghetti while Raven sat down at the table and watched him.

"Gar, when did you learn how to cook?" she asked casually.

"I don't know, somewhere along the way I just kind of figured it out, you know? Like being on my own forced me to learn I guess" he said, chuckling a bit. He scooped up two platefuls and brought them to the table. They began to eat together in silence. Finally Raven cleared her throat and looked up at him.

"Garfield, I honestly don't know what to do."

He paused, fork mid-way to his mouth and stared at her. "What do you mean?" he asked, setting his fork back down untouched.

"I mean I love Luke. I really do. He and I probably won't last, but I love him." She stared out the window as she spoke, "You know, I used to think I'd give up anything to be with you. But here you are, and I'm completely..." She didn't finish speaking, only twirled some spaghetti around on her fork, watching it as she did so.

After some thought, Garfield replied, "I told you yesterday I wasn't trying to come between you two. I'm ok with just being friends Rae, if that's what you really want."

She turned her head back and looked at him quizzically. "Really? You'd be ok with that?" She sounded a little hurt.

"I mean, it's not what I want but if it's that or not seeing you at all I'd settle for that." He quietly replied, holding her gaze.

"I..." she stopped. She stood up and walked to the large double windows in her adjoining living room. He watched her from where he sat at the table. He watched as she leaned against the wall and stared out into the city. It was dark, and the lights from Bludhaven were beautiful from this high.

"Rae?" he stood up and walked over until he was standing next to her. "Are you ok?"

She turned around and he could see her eyes, big and beautiful and sad and.. a little scared.

'No. Honestly, I'm not." He watched her lips as she spoke. "I have a life here, Gar. I have a job that I'm really good at, and I'm happy with Luke. We are good together. For however long it works we are good." Her voice started to shake as she spoke, and she rubbed a hand against her arm to warm herself a bit. He could tell she was wrestling with herself, somewhat unsure.

"Raven I am in no way asking you to leave what you have." He couldn't help the edge that was in his voice. He had no intentions of messing up her life, and she was acting like everything was his fault.

"I know, really I do. I understand. It's not your fault that I can't stay with him now." She replied quietly. He watched her face grow a little sadder. "I can't stay with him, Gar."

"Why not? I'm not asking you to leave him!" Garfield felt like he was on repeat.

"That's not the point! I know you aren't asking me to, but now I have to," her voice started to rise, "I have no choice!"

"Why the fuck not Raven? If you want to be with him so damn bad then just be with him!" He felt his anger start to bubble up in him.

"Because Garfield! Because I can't do this with him anym-"

"You aren't telling me anything. Why can't you just stay with hi-"

"Because he's not you!" She almost shouted, quickly bringing a hand up to cover her mouth. She was a little startled by her own outburst.

Garfield just stared at her, his anger diminishing exponentially.

She looked embarrassed, out of breath, and undeniably sexy. She had discarded her apron before they ate dinner, and under it she was wearing a plain black tank top and a pair of form fitting jeans.

In that moment, he forgot all reason. She obviously had no idea the effect she had on him. He walked forward, catching her in his arms and kissed her, before planting kisses along her neck. She sighed and held on to his broad shoulders. He stopped and looked at her.

"Do you mean that?" he asked cautiously.

"Every word." she murmured in response. He smiled down at her and lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist. She began to kiss him slowly as he carried her back to the kitchen table, resting her on the edge.

"Are we really doing this right now?" He almost whispered.

"Do you want to?" she replied, equally as quiet. His eyes burned into hers.

"More than anything."

He yanked off his shirt and kicked off his pants, stripping down to nothing. She did the same, removing all her clothes. They looked at one another in silence for a second, before he repositioned himself between her legs. Her legs wrapped around his waist and she ground her hips into his. He couldn't stop the low moan that escaped his lips, and he dropped his head till it was resting in the crook of her neck.

"Rae" He whispered.

"Yes?" her answer came quietly to his ears. He lifted his head to look her in the eyes.

"You know that if we do this.. If we do this there's no going back, right?"

Her gaze faltered a bit. "I know."

And with that, he shoved in to her, reveling in the shocked gasp that escaped her. She clenched around him, and gripped his shoulders tightly. He began to rock his hips against her, gauging her reaction. She had let her head fall back, and he studied her neck, her collar bones, her chest, her breasts, her small waist and curvy hips. He reached a hand up to lightly palm one of her breasts and the moan she let out in return drove him crazy. It awoke something deep inside himself, something.. distinctly male, and distinctly.. animal. She lifted her head back up to look at him, and began to grind her hips in to his, attempting to pick up the pace. His hands found her hips and stilled them, as his eyes met hers.

"I want to take this slow, Raven." He murmured. Their lips were almost touching and he could feel her breath on his face.

"What if I don't?" She replied, her breathing slightly erratic. He could tell she was on the verge of losing her control. "What if I want you to fuck me?"

He opened his mouth to respond, and then thought better of it. They'd have plenty of time later to take things slow, to explore each other. If she wanted it rough now, who was he to refuse her? Instead of replying, he grabbed her hips and began thrusting in to her, almost frenzied. Her breaths grew in to moans, and she never took her eyes off his face. A fine layer of sweat covered their bodies. He leaned his head against her shoulder as his thrusts became more impatient.

Suddenly, she bit down on his neck, and he let out a growl. It had sent him teetering on the edge, dangerously. He stilled completely, breathing heavily.

"Gar?" She asked hesitantly. He could tell she was nervous, questioning. He tried to calm himself. He knew he would hurt her if he continued like that.

"Sorry.. Rae..." His voice was hoarse and he looked in to her eyes. "It's just that I'm part animal, you know? And I don't want to hurt you-"

She interrupted him, her hands on his face, "Let go, Garfield. You don't have to worry about me." Her eyes were on his, and for a moment he lost all sense of time. He brought a hand up and ran his thumb along her bottom lip slowly, watching as he did so. He dropped his hand, his eyes darting back up to meet hers. The sight of her, legs up around him, breasts heaving from moments ago, was enough to make him want to lose control completely. He hardened more inside her, and he heard her take in a sharp breath.

"Please, don't worry, just.." She pleaded, digging her heels into his ass to move him. She was so tight around him, she felt so good. He took one last look at her perfect face before he let himself fall of the edge.


	13. Chapter 12

Rae's POV

He was looking at her, as if debating himself. Then she saw his eyes darken, and he roughly grabbed her hips. 'Finally' She thought to herself. She didn't care if he hurt her, she could heal herself. All she cared about was his pleasure. She didn't want him holding back, she wanted him completely.

He began pounding in to her unrelentingly, almost unreasonably hard. She brought a hand up to his shoulder but he caught it before she could touch him. His fingernails dug in to the soft skin of her wrist as he used the leverage to jerk her up so her face met his. He crashed his lips against hers harshly, breathing heavily through his nose.

He bit her lip and she let out a cry. His hand left her arm and reached behind her back, in to her hair. He wrapped his fingers in her locks and pulled her head back, exposing her neck. He began to plant kisses, and a few bites, along her neck, never ceasing his intense thrusting. Her moans filled the room and he growled as she grabbed one of his hips roughly, her nails breaking the skin.

His grip tightened on her hips, leaving bruises. He reached up and grabbed her by the chin harshly, forcing her eyes to his. His eyes were darkened, filled with lust. He spoke in a low, guttural tone, "I want you to beg". He stopped, and pulled out of her, holding himself at her entrance. He lightly pushed the tip of his head in, and then pulled back out, watching her reaction. He was looking at her expectantly, awaiting her response. He surveyed the damage he had done to her, dark love bites blooming across her chest and neck, bruises on her hips and ribs. Visible proof that he had claimed her. He couldn't help but chuckle, a little proud.

"Please Gar, Please I need-" He didn't let her finish, He rammed himself, hard, back inside her and she almost screamed. He grabbed her throat and used his grip to push her body against his.

He was being no where close to gentle..

And she was loving it.

He was pushing in and out of her with something she could only describe as primal, animal lust. She felt that she was very close to her orgasm, and as he thrust in to her mercilessly, she realized he was too. She pushed her hands into his hair and kissed him hard. Neither of them closed their eyes as they continued to move against one another. Suddenly, Raven felt herself clench up, and her orgasm hit hard. She screamed his name as she shuddered, her walls pulsating as he continued his ministrations. He picked up the pace, panting against her neck as he came seconds after her. "Rae.." She heard him growl against her skin. He didn't stop moving in her until both of their orgasms had ended completely.

They stared at each other, neither one knowing what to say. She reached up and wiped the sweat off his brow. He slowly pulled out of her, leaning against the table. She stood up, her legs slightly weak and she wobbled slightly. He put an arm around her waist to steady her. They walked in silence to the bed, both collapsing on it. They both fell asleep, entangled in one another's arms.

Raven awoke first the next morning. She felt her face against Garfield's chest, and her arm around his waits. She felt his steady breathing, and remembered the events of last night.

It had been like anything she had ever experienced. The way he moved in her made her feel like she was on fire, in the best possible way. She sighed contentedly, and sat up a bit. Just then, His eyes fluttered open and he stretched, letting out a sigh.

"Good morning" she murmured, running a hand through his shaggy hair.

"Isn't it?" he said, smiling at her. He sat up and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him. He nuzzled his head against her neck and she squirmed, feeling his hair tickle.

"You in the mood for breakfast?" She asked, pulling back a bit to see his face.

"I'm always in the mood for food, Rae" He quipped, laughing a bit.

She stood up and walked to the kitchen, Garfield following behind her.


	14. Chapter 13

Gar's POV

Raven set to work fixing herself some eggs. He opened the fridge and looked around, searching for something he could eat. He grabbed a banana, some orange juice, and kicked the door closed. He grabbed two slices of bread from the loaf on the counter and plopped them in to the toaster.

As he waited for his toast, he watched Raven move around the kitchen. She was wearing nothing but his shirt, and every time she reached for something in one of the cabinets the shirt would ride up, giving him a perfect peek at her pantie-less butt. He admired her small hands working on the stove, they looked so elegant. It surprised him, considering the beatings she had taken during her time as a Titan. But her skin remained flawless.

'Probably because she could heal herself,' Garfield thought as he watched her.

Suddenly, his toast shot up from the toaster. He grabbed the slices and grabbed a plate from one of the cabinets, seating himself at the table. Raven soon joined him, and they ate in comfortable silence. Raven stood after finishing her eggs, and walked to the sink to rinse her dish off.

"Look, whatever it is that we have here, I want it. I want you. And only you." She said, watching him from her spot at the sink. Her dish was forgotten, resting in the basin as she leaned against the counter, eyes locked on his.

"Are you going to leave Luke?" He asked, sliding his plate away to make room for his elbows to rest on the table. He put his head in one of his hands, the other hand resting, lightly holding his orange juice glass.

She paused, trying to gauge his emotions. "Not right away." She almost whispered.

Garfield sighed and took a sip of his juice. He mentally smacked himself. He knew last night was too good to be true. "So that's it, then? You really expect me to be ok with that?"

"No I... I just can't right now Gar. The time isn't right, he's really stressed at work and.. and he owns this apartment. He is my boss's boss... he even bought me my car. He... he owns me." Raven replied quietly, unwilling to meet his gaze.

Garfield stood up fast, his chair sliding back violently, wobbling and almost hitting the ground. In 4 quick strides he was by her side. The swiftness of it all startled Raven, and she looked up at him questioningly.

"He does not own you Raven. That's absurd. Maybe he thinks he does, maybe he wants to. But no one possesses you, Raven. He may own many things, but he does not own your heart. You proved that to me last night." He said, reaching out and taking her face in his hands. She looked like she was about to cry, but she sucked it back in, her eyes going dead.

"You don't understand. I would lose this apartment, my job, my car.. my reputation. I can't do this yet, I'm not ready." Her voice was shaking, and she trembled a little under his hands. He brushed her hair behind her ear and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"You deserve to be loved, not.. not owned. You deserve your own life, you shouldn't be scared to walk away from things." He murmured against her mouth, and he felt a tear trickle down her cheek and on to his face. He pulled back and looked at her. Her face was pained, and she looked like there was almost nothing holding her together. That with one final push, she would break completely. He frowned, he hated seeing her hurt. He scooped her up in to his arms bridal style, and walked back in to the bedroom. He set her down softly on to the bed.

"Let me show you, Rae. Let me show you what I mean." He crawled across the bed until he was over her, and leaned down to kiss her softly. "Let me show you love."

He felt her begin to respond to his kiss. He promised himself he would take it slow this time, he would make her understand him. He ran his hand lightly down her side, coming to a rest at her hip. He slowly pushed her shirt up and over her head. She was staring at him, her expression enigmatic. He reached down and pulled off his boxers, the only thing he was wearing, and tossed them on the ground, along with her shirt. He rested himself on top of her, his weight mainly on his arms so he didn't crush her. His kisses were soft and gentle, and left her breathless.

"Gar.." she moaned as he sucked on the spot where her neck met her shoulder. Her voice was almost a whimper.

He reached between them and positioned himself at her entrance. He looked at her, giving her one last chance to stop him, and when she didn't, he pushed himself in.

This time, it was slow. She let out a sigh and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He waited a second for her to adjust, and then tentatively moved in her. His lips drifted from her mouth to her jaw, then her neck, leaving open mouthed kisses on the way. He brought himself back up to her ear, "I want to be the only man in your life Rae" He whispered, driving himself deeper into her. She gasped and her breathing quickened.

"I.. I want that too" was her soft reply. He pulled back and looked at her. She looked so sad, but so beautiful laying there for him.

He made sure to be as gentle as possible, taking his time, leaving kisses all over her neck and chest.

She moaned softly under him, her eyes fluttering shut as he pushed against her. He caressed he cheek, held her face in his hands and whispered in to her ear, "I love you, Rae. I never want this to end." He heard her gasp, and felt her whole body tense up as her orgasm washed over her. She held her breath this time, instead of calling out. She came quietly, and he continued to thrust though her orgasm, until he reached his and he came, breathing heavily against her neck. He layed there on top of her for a while, letting everything sink in.

"I.. I love you too." He heard her quiet voice say in to his hair. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, bringing his full weight on to her. She held on to him and he felt her shaking.

"I love you Gar, and I want to be with you. Will you wait for me?" She pleaded, holding him so he couldn't see her face.

"I.. Yes. If that's what you want." He sighed, wishing he could change her mind. He sat up, his feet sliding over the edge of the bed, coming to a rest on the floor. He leaned his elbows on his knees, and put his head in his hands. He could feel Raven watching him.

"Can I give you something?" She asked, tentatively. She stood up and walked towards her dresser, not waiting for his answer. She reached into a little box on top of her dresser, pulling out a brass key identical to the one that unlocked her front door. She walked over and sat next to him, pulling his hand out from under his head and placing the key in his hand.

He stared at it for a second, and then looked up at her. "What is this?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.

"I mean what I say, I really want to be with you. It might take me some time but I will end things with him. Until then, will you.." She paused, and he knew what she wanted.

She wanted to continue their affair until she ended things with Luke. If she ever ended things with Luke. He sighed and looked at the key in his hands. He knew no matter how much he didn't want to, he would do anything for her. Even this.

"Ok Rae." He murmured. "Ok."


	15. Chapter 14

Rae's POV

...

Just a warning, there is a rape scene in this chapter. Read at your own risk.

...

It was 6 in the evening, the sun had just started to set, and the lights of Bludhaven's city scape were clicking on one by one. Raven was working on her computer, looking over documents from yesterdays meeting at work. She was chewing on her lip lightly, lost in her thoughts.

Truthfully, she was trying to focus on her work so she didn't have to think about the situation with Garfield and Luke. She knew it couldn't last forever, but it was the last thing she wanted to deal with. It had been about a week since she and Gar had started seeing each other, and things were going great. He made her feel like she was the only woman alive.

And it wasn't just the sex, either. It was the constant smiles he gave her, the way he put his arm around her, the way he held her hand. It was the way he laughed when she did something he thought was cute, and the way he watched her when they were together as if she was the only thing he ever wanted to see. It was the way he rolled over in the middle of the night to wrap his arms around her and fall back asleep.

It was-

She was so transfixed by what she was doing that she almost didn't hear the doorbell.

Almost.

She walked over and opened the door. Luke was standing there, and he smiled when he saw her. He pushed through the door, catching her in his arms and kissing her on the lips. She could feel his smile against her mouth and she couldn't help but smile too. When Luke was happy, everything was wonderful. His good moods always put her in an equally good mood.

"You hungry?" She asked, ruffling his hair lightly.

"Sure, wanna order take-out?" he asked, brushing her hair behind her ear, revealing part of her neck.

The smile dropped off his face, replaced by a look of confusion, and then a look of disgust.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing to her neck.

"What's what?" she replied, confused. He grabbed her arm and dragged her all the way to the floor length mirror in her bedroom.

"What. The fuck. Is that?" he asked again, his eyes darkening in anger.

She took in a sharp breath. Too late, she realized her mistake.

One love bite she had forgotten to heal.

He grabbed her by the shoulders and whirled her around to face him.

"Did you fuck someone else, Rachel?" his voice was low, but it shook with anger.

"I-" She began, but was cut off when her slapped her. she fell to the ground with a dull thud. She reached up to her face and felt that her lip had split, a small trickle of blood running down her chin.

"Do you have any idea what I could do to you? I could ruin you, you'd never be able to show your face in this city again! Do you understand-"

"I'm sorry Luke! I really am," hot tears began to fall down her cheeks and she choked back a sob. This was not at all how she wanted him to find out. "It all just happened so fast, I never meant to-"

"How long?" He yelled, "How long has this been happening!"

"A... A week.." Raven said quietly from her place on the floor. Luke looked like he had been punched in the gut.

"So more than once. You're having an affair?" He said, almost shocked.

"I..."

"Rachel. I am rich, I am good looking, I have always treated you right. What the fuck are you thinking? Do you understand what you're doing?" He asked, his voice no longer shaking, just dead. "Were you just with me because I'm..." He didn't finish his thought, she interrupted him.

"It's not about the money, Luke!" she exclaimed, angry he would suggest that.

"Then what is it?" He demanded, moving closer to her, "what could possibly possess you to cheat on someone like me, huh?"

He was starting to scare her. She had never seen him this upset, this enraged. He didn't look at all like himself.

"Can you just not control yourself? Was I not enough, you had to fuck someone else?" His voice was cruel now, and he grabbed her arm, yanking her to her feet. She let out a cry of surprise and hurt as he gripped her arm tightly.

"Luke that hurts" she hissed, trying to pull away.

"Then this is gonna destroy you." He replied, slapping her again before shoving her on to the bed.

Her head was swimming, and she tried to force herself back to reality. He had hit her so hard the breath was knocked out of her, and she was too dazed to move.

Somewhere in her mind she realized he was unbuttoning his pants.

"If you're gonna be a whore, and just give it away to anyone, then I'm gonna take what's mine." He leaned over her, and his hands were leaving bruises as he squeezed her roughly. He growled, grabbing her face with his strong hands, forcing her to look at him. Her eyes were desperately trying to focus, to pull out of the daze he had stunned her with.

"This apartment, That car I bought you, your fucking job," He spat the last word at her, almost mockingly. "All those things I gave you, now you're gonna pay for them." He was yanking at her clothes now, tearing her underwear off. He forced a finger inside her and she gasped, finally coming back to reality.

Just then, as she regained her consciousness, he grabbed her by the throat. She couldn't breath, and she was starting to see stars. She felt his mouth on her breast and he bit her nipple, hard, drawing blood. He pulled out his finger and lined himself up In front of her. He let go of her throat, but put a hand over her mouth to muffle her as he forced himself in to her. She choked out a scream and felt tears sting her eyes. She could barely focus on anything, she could barely remain conscious. She heard him let out a low moan as he thrust in and out of her roughly. His hand went back over her mouth, muffling her desperate moans. Just when she thought she couldn't take it any more, she heard a crash! as something hit Luke, and he was off of her, and on the floor, limp.

She looked up, barely seeing straight, and saw Garfield standing above her, looking mad as hell.

He scooped her up in his arms on the bed and held her as she tried to stop crying. She tried to focus her eyes on anything, but she was in such a state of shock she could barely keep them open. He reached a hand up to her face and turned it to look at him. His face twisted in anger as he saw her lip, the bruise that had blossomed across her cheek, and the nasty red marks that were marring the perfect skin of her neck. His head snapped to the unconscious form on the ground, and he stood up, nearly dropping Raven on the bed.

Raven sat up and whispered, pleadingly. "Gar, Don't. Please, just leave him." She begged, but Garfield was seeing red. He could barely contain his anger as he stared at Luke, crumpled on the floor.

Just as Raven reached out to touch his arm, Garfield morphed in to a tiger.


	16. Chapter 15

Gar's POV

Somewhere in his mind he registered Raven's begging with him not to hurt Luke, But he could barely hear her. There was a dull roaring in his ears, and all he could think about was killing the man that had dared to touch Raven.

He paced over Luke, and he snarled. He lifted a paw about Luke's head, claws outstretched-

Suddenly Raven was on him, her arms around his body. He turned his head to look at her, naked and clinging to him, tears in her eyes. She pushed her face in to his fur and cried.

Garfield morphed back in to himself. He held her on the floor. No matter how much he wanted to decimate Luke, Raven came first.

He lifted her up and carried her to the bathroom. He sat her on the counter, and grabbed a wash cloth from the towel rack, running it under some water. He rang it out and brought it up to her lip, pressing it there to stop the bleeding. He then held the wash cloth to her breast, wiping the blood off from where Luke had bitten her. He brought the wash cloth down between her legs, and wiped off the wetness that remained.

She was still shaking when he finished, and she wouldn't look at him.

He walked back in to the bedroom, picking up her clothes from the floor. Luke had torn her panties in half, and the site made his rage come flooding back. He sucked it down, 'I will deal with that later' He thought, walking to her underwear drawer and grabbing a new pair.

He came back in to the bathroom and set the clothes on the floor. He turned to the bath, and started the water, running his hand under it until he found the right temperature. He realized Raven was watching him, and he turned around to face her.

"You are gonna take a bath, and I am gonna take care of him." He said, his voice low and a little dark. The look on Raven's face was enough to make him want to kill Luke right then.

"Gar-"

"I won't kill him. Not unless you want me to. But I'm gonna get him out of here and make sure he never touches you again, ok?" He pulled her down of the counter in to his arms. "I'm never gonna let him hurt you, Raven." He whispered in to her hair.

He felt a shudder go through her body.

He helped her in to the tub, letting her lean against him as she slid in to the water. The water tinted a rose color from some of the small cuts Luke had caused from grabbing her. She tried not to think about his nails drawing blood on her skin, and instead drew her knees up to her chest and rested her head on them.

Garfield watched her from the doorway, his anger barely contained.

"I just have one question, Rae." He asked, and Raven lifted her head to look at him. "Why didn't you use your powers."

"I.. I couldn't at first, I was too.. mixed up after he hit me like that.. and then I knew if he did he would only use it to hurt me. He would use my secret against me."

".. Not if you killed him." Garfield replied, glancing out to Luke's body on the floor.

"Garfield!" Raven looked at him, almost glaring. "We are heroes. Or at least, we were.." she looked down at her toes in the water, and mumbled quietly, "I will not be like my father."

He almost didn't hear her.

Almost.

"Killing one man does not make you like your father, Raven. Especially not in defense. Your father has decimated planets. Killing one man in self defense hardly makes you-"

"It's not that! It's that... If I kill one man.. one person.." She choked back another sob and looked up at him, sad eyes staring at his through her dark lashes. "If I kill one person, what if I never stop?"

He looked at her, dumbfounded. He ran a hand through his hair and groaned. 'This is all so messed up!' He thought angrily. "That's not who you are, Raven. You're better than that."

"Am I? Or is that just something you tell yourself at night so you can fall asleep holding me." Her eyes hardened. She didn't mean to sound so harsh, but she couldn't keep the edge out of her voice. The look on his face, he was sure, was a mixture of hurt, shock, and hate. Hurt at her words, shocked by her tone, and hate for the man on the floor who caused it all.

"Take your bath Raven. And don't wait up for me, this may take awhile." He turned around and closed the door harshly behind him. He stood over Luke's body, debating whether or not to just kill him there, despite his promise to Raven.

He decided better, and morphed into a gorilla, picking Luke up and slinging him over his shoulder. He headed out her front door, heading for the elevator.

His mind set on one thing and one thing alone: He could never let anything like this happen again.


	17. Author's Note Number 2

Another Author's Note

Hey guys!

So I realize the story has taken a darker turn, I hope I didn't offend anybody.

The good news is, I definitely know where I am going with the story now!

There will probably be a couple fight scenes, a couple more lemons, and some loss of control for both Raven and Garfield.

I'm hoping to get as many chapters up by the end of the month as possible, because starting June 1rst I'm going to be working full time.

As always, I appreciate the reviews and take everything you guys say in to consideration. Thanks for all the support and feedback!

-Meg


	18. Chapter 16

Rae's POV

Raven took her time washing herself, taking care to heal every cut, every bruise. But she couldn't heal her mind, she couldn't make the memories go away. Maybe she should have fought back harder, maybe she should have killed him. But her self-preservation told her it would only cause her more pain.

She got out of the tub and let it drain. She pulled on the clothes Gar had left out for her and stood in front of the mirror. She toweled her hair dry and ran a brush through it. She was trying not to think about what Garfield was doing to Luke, how he was 'handling' him.

She walked out of the bathroom and in to her room, and was hit by an overwhelming sense of anger. It was not her own, but rather Garfield's. Raven closed her eyes and searched for him. She gasped as she realized he was on the roof, right above her.

She felt his anger, his rage, and she sensed his sadness. She also sensed Luke's panic, his fear, and his distinct apprehension that he might die.

Raven couldn't allow that. She Opened her eyes and ran to the front door, then stopped. If she ran to the roof, she might not make it in time. She knew Gar was in a rage, but she also knew when he came down from his rage he'd be himself again. And she didn't think he could handle killing someone, no matter what he had said in the bathroom. He was too good a person, it would hurt him too much.

She closed her eyes and whispered her mantra under her breath, her body disappearing into black energy. She materialized on the rooftop, a few feet away from where Gar had Luke cornered against an air conditioner unit. Luke was pale as a ghost and barely conscious as Garfield was gripping his shirt, holding him as he raised his fist. Luke already had a few bruises on his face, as well as a bloody nose. Garfield had really messed him up.

"Garfield!" Raven yelled, Gar's fist halting mid-air. He didn't turn to look at her, only paused momentarily.

"Don't interfere, Rae. Go back down stairs." He said calmly, though everything about him told her calm was the last thing he was.

She scooted closer, not wanting to set him off. Luke was teetering on the edge of consciousness, and he looked like he had taken a hundred beatings, instead of one.

"Gar, put him down" Raven said as sternly as she could. She tried to sound resolute, but she knew he knew how she really felt. She didn't care if Luke lived or died, she just didn't want Garfield to be the one to kill him.

"Why should I?" He asked, she could hear the anger in his voice, it was almost too much.

"Because I love you, and this isn't you. Put him down, we can find another way to deal with him. Don't lose control." She took another step closer, she could almost touch him.

Almost.

She watched as his shoulders slumped a bit, and he loosened his grip on Luke's shirt. Luke's head lulled to the side as he did so. Luke let out a gurgling moan, and then looked up, making eye contact with Raven.

"Fucking.. bitch" He spat, eyes completely venomous.

"Don't speak to her" Garfield growled, his shoulders going rigid again at the sound of Luke's insult.

"What does it matter to you? It's not like she's worth anything"

Despite what he had done to her, Raven had still loved Luke at one time, and it hurt to hear those words coming from him. She breathed deeply, and continued speaking only to Garfield.

"Garfield if you lose control he could die. He could die, Gar, and then there would be police involved. There's too much at stake..." She reached up to touch him, then pulled her hand back. "Please, Gar. Come back to me. I need you with me." She pleaded, trying to keep the increasing panic out of her voice. If he lost control, she could teleport her and Luke to safety, but that would mean compromising her identity. And she definitely did not want to give Luke that power over her. Her only chance was to try to calm Garfield down.

Which Luke, for his part, was making increasingly difficult.

"Oh you love him Rachel? Do you? I hope you two are very happy." Luke's words dripped with hatred, and Gar let out an inhuman growl. "You know what, Garfield" Luke said his name mockingly, "I don't mind, you can have my sloppy seconds. She's great in bed but not good for much else."

Raven watched in horror as Garfield dropped Luke from his grip and doubled over, head in his hands and growling. "Shut up!" He yelled at Luke, but Luke continued, struggling to stand up.

"But you already know that, don't you? Tell me, does she scream your name when you fuck her? 'Cause she always did for me" He held himself up against the air conditioner, eyes locked on Raven's. Another snarl ripped itself from Garfield's lips as he fought to keep the beast inside.

"Luke, if you know what's good for you, please stop!" Raven tried to beg, but Luke was never good at backing down, or taking no for an answer.

"You know what the best part of this was, Rachel? The moans you made when I fucked you earlier, those were the best you ever made. You know why?" He stared into Raven's eyes, and her breathing hitched, "It was because even though you cried, I could tell you really wanted it. Why else would you have gotten so we-"

Luke was cut off by the beast tackling him to the ground. He let out a cry of fear as Garfield brought his large claw down across Luke's chest, slicing his shirt and leaving deep gashes. "That's adorable, Rachel, trading in a man for an animal." Luke's voice was weak when he spoke, and he gurgled a bit, but his words had their intended effect. Garfield Snarled as he tore in to Luke's abdomen, blood draining from his body.

"GARFIELD" Raven screamed, and she ran over towards the two men on the ground. Raven skidded forward to a halt as the beast looked up at her, his eyes filled with only rage. She knew he was past the point of reasoning, and she knew they were past the point of help. With that, she threw her arms up and casted a shield around her and Luke, watching in despair as the beast charged against it.

She let the tears run down her cheeks, and then simultaneously she sent a wave of energy towards Garfield, knocking him out, and teleported Luke and herself to the hospital.


	19. Chapter 17

Gar's POV

When Garfield awoke, he became acutely aware of two things. The first, he had absolutely, dangerously, stupidly lost control.. and the second, Raven had left with Luke.

He sat up and brought a hand to the back of his head. There was a sore spot from where he had hit the concrete when Raven knocked him out. He stood up and sniffed the air. Her scent was faint, which meant he had been out for a while. Hours. Maybe more. He stood at the edge of the roof, contemplating what to do. If he left now, he might be able to find Raven. But if he left, he might miss her when she came back.

He decided to go back downstairs to her apartment to wait for her. There was no use chasing her through the city when she would eventually come home anyways. He trudged to the elevator and hit the 25th floor button. The elevator took him down and ding-ed as it opened to her hallway. As he walked to her door, he realized he didn't actually know Raven as well as he thought he did. Sure, he knew her pretty well when they were Titans. They had definitely grown close over the years. But all in all, he wasn't really sure any more. The woman he laughed with, held at night, and made love to, was definitely not the same girl he had been so infatuated with all those years ago. Knowing who Raven used to be did not guarantee him any understanding of who she was now, and it drove him crazy.

Garfield plopped himself down onto her couch, deciding it was better to just be still and wait than to get himself worked up again. He pulled her purple throw blanket off the back of the couch and draped it over himself. His hands clenched in to fists, and he forced himself to relax them. The only thing he could think about was Raven's face, tears in her eyes, as she sent the wave of power that left him unconscious. The Raven he used to know never cried. She barely showed any emotion. And any time this Raven, his Raven, displayed emotion he didn't quite know how to react. It was strange for him, and he tried to reconcile the part of him that missed the old, stoic, timid Raven.

Thinking about Raven, Garfield drifted off to sleep.

The sun had long set when Raven returned, blood still caked to her arms from where she had held Luke, and hair still matted from the fight. She closed the door quietly, but his animal senses were sharper than human senses, and he heard it anyways.

He lifted his head up from the couch and looked at her. She only stared back at him.

In that moment, he knew. He knew by the look on her face that things were about to change, about to get very bad.

"He knows, Gar." Her voice sounded so small, so quiet, and all he wanted was to reach out and hold her.

"Knows.. what?" he asked, getting up from the couch completely, but not moving closer to her. He stood and watched her eyes as she spoke.

"He knows who we are. And Gar, he.. he's got connections." She brought a hand to her face and wiped some of the sweat from her cheek. She smelled like blood, and sweat, and bile.

".. Connections?" Garfield asked, but he already knew what she meant.

"He.. he wouldn't... I guess his money helped fund the HIVE academy.. He has hundreds of students at his disposal. He threatened.." He watched as her fists clenched at her sides and he felt the air become a little colder.

"Rae" He said cautiously, inching towards her.

"He threatened us.. he threatened the Titans.. he-" the glass in a picture frame on the wall cracked, causing the frame to fall to the ground, shattering before them. Raven remained unfazed, her eyes beginning glow. Garfield continued to inch closer. He knew if she lost control she could destroy the apartment, and even bring the whole building down, "He said he knew where all of us.. our new lives.. he knows who we are.. He has eyes everywhere-", hell, she could probably level the whole city with her rage. Garfield tried to think fast, what could he use to subdue her?

Raven was struggling to speak through the strain of trying to control her powers. She grit her teeth together and let out the tiniest growl as the glass jars that were aligned on the kitchen counter, each holding a different flavor of tea, exploded one by one. Tea leaves drifted through the room, and Garfield waved a hand in front of his face to clear air.

"Raven, you need to calm down. Don't make the mistake I made, calm down." His voice was urgent, but soothing. He had finally almost closed the space between them when Raven let out a cry and her power struck like lightening around her. she slumped forward a bit, and when she looked up, Garfield took in a sharp breath. On her face, replacing the beautiful violet eyes he loved, were the four, red, glowing eyes he had learned to fear. The whole room shook, and things around the room began to explode. The flat screen t.v. split in two, the throw pillows on the couch burst in a flare of feathers, the wallpaper began to peel off the walls and Raven's black energy began to overtake the room.

When she spoke, her voice sounded demonic, almost like her father's. "He threatened to kill us, one by one" Her breathing was erratic, she was sucking in air in short gulps as she wrestled with herself for control. "He will suffer!" She shouted, and her face contorted into a mask of hate. Garfield didn't know what to do, he was running out of options. He couldn't let Raven destroy the building, killing hundreds of civilians. Raven let out a low chuckle, and looked straight at Garfield, "I will destroy the mortal before he even has a chance to-"

Her words were cut off, as Garfield punched her straight in the nose with such force that it sent her stumbling back, her backside slamming into the wall. She gasped, hands jerking up to her face, and then her eyes rolled back in to her head as she passed out. Garfield cringed at the sound of her body hitting the floor, but the room around them settled, her energy disappearing back in to her.

Garfield sighed. He really wished he hadn't needed to do that. He stared at the wreckage around them and then down at her. She looked so peaceful, like she had just fallen asleep. He reached down and picked her up, holding her close against his chest as he carried her to her room. He laid her gently on the bed and brushed her hair out of her face. She looked like a mess. Like she had been through a war.

He debated getting in to bed with her, but decided against it. He was much too worked up to fall asleep. Instead, he took to cleaning the remains of her apartment, debating what she had said. If Luke really did have the HIVE on his side, then he also had Brother Blood. And who knew how many other criminals. This went a lot deeper than Garfield wanted to admit to himself. If all of what he threatened was true, Garfield would need to get in touch with Nightwing as soon as possible.

And that, unfortunately, would require a lot of ass-kissing on his part.


	20. Chapter 18

Rae's POV

Raven's eyes slowly opened. She blinked in the early morning light and rolled over onto her side until she was facing the alarm clock on her bedside table.

5:27 A.M.

Raven sighed and slowly sat up, her whole body felt like it had been drained of it's blood. She put a hand up to her head, hoping to still the spinning sensation she was feeling.

"You're awake." Raven glanced up to see Garfield standing in her doorway, leaning against the door frame, arms crossed.

"I.. how long was I out?" She murmured, rubbing one of her hands over her face.

"About 10 hours." Garfield watched her from his place at the door. Their eyes met and she felt his unrest.

"I don't even remember what happened.. I just remember the hospital, and Luke.. and coming home.." She whispered, trying to remember the previous nights event's.

"You came home... and you lost control Rae." Garfield replied cautiously. "I had to.. I had to hit you to get you to stop."

Raven felt her eyes widen as the memories came flooding back. Her fist clenched in the bed sheets and she noticed Garfield tense up.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to lose control again. I just.. I'm so angry with myself. How could I not have known? How could I have dated him for so long and not have seen the signs?" Her voice was low and angry, and her lips trembled when she spoke.

"You can't blame yourself. What's done is done, and so what? He turned out to be a shit-head, yeah. But you know now, and we will fix this." Garfield walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at her. "This doesn't have anything to do with your capabilities as a hero. You trusted this man and he wasn't what you thought he was. It's got nothing to do with you."

"But it does! Don't you see that? I should have sensed it, I should have known! How could I not know, what kind of an empath does that make me?" Raven felt a shiver go through her body and she pulled the covers closer around her.

"You were blinded by trust, it happens to all of us." Garfield murmured, cupping her cheek with his hand. He ran a thumb over her bottom lip and sighed, pulling away. "Don't hate yourself for this, Rae. You made a mistake but that's all. We are gonna take care of this, together. You and me. Ok?"

"I.. ok." Raven watched him stand and walk back to the door. He paused in the doorway and turned around to face her.

"I'm calling Dick. If what Luke threatened is true, we can't face him alone. Do you want to be there when I make the call?" Garfield rested an arm against the doorway, leaning so his weight was against it.

"Oh god, I wish you wouldn't. You know how he is, he'll tear me apart for not realizing who Luke was. He's so judge-"

"You know we need him. Don't pretend we don't. We need what he has to offer and this is not something I'm willing to just wing. We are gonna need a plan, and a team. And that means Nightwing." Garfield's tone was stern and Raven knew she would not get him to budge. And truthfully, she knew he was right. Despite Richard's nagging quality, he was one of the best in the business. And he was their friend.

"Ok. You're right. I'm just not looking forward to the chewing out he is definitely gonna give me."

"Trust me, I'm sure Nightwing has some choice words for me too." Garfield looked down at his feet, as if he were contemplating something.

"Well that was... a mysterious thing to say. And very unlike you." Raven sized him up, "Spill." She said, using her power to pull him by his shirt back over to the bed. He let out a small yelp of surprise and came tumbling onto the bed.

"Rae!" He gulped, slightly flustered. "Seriously, you could have just waited for me to walk over."

"I'm impatient. Now come on, what happened with Nightwing." She drew her knees up under her chin and stared at him expectantly. He sighed.

"Look this isn't exactly something I ever wanted to talk about."

"Does it look like I'm asking?" Raven deadpanned.

"When do you ever?" Garfield replied, almost joking. He sighed again, and ran a hand through his hair. "Ok look, after the Titans split up I had nowhere to go. I didn't have a family, I didn't have friends except for you guys. I mean I'm green! Not many places wanted to hire me. And honestly, I didn't really know how to be anything other than a hero at first. So Richard let me come home with him. I lived at Wayne Manor for a couple months on his charity. At first it was pretty great. We went on missions together, and when we had free time we hung out. It was a bit of a bromance for awhile. But then.. then I met his... I don't know I guess she was his first crush or something. Barbara Gordon. And we started a-"

"You had a relationship with Batgirl? Are you crazy?" Raven looked shocked, her eyes going wide.

"Clearly. And when Dick found out he was furious. He told me I couldn't stay with him any more, and he told me if I continued to see Barb that we couldn't be friends."

"So, what did you do?"

"A pretty shitty thing for a friend to do" Gar looked sheepish, and stared down at his hands.

"No way. You honestly kept seeing her?"

"Yeah I mean, have you even seen her? She's beautiful and funny, and she had that whole 'mystery girl' thing going for her. I don't know, I guess I figured Dick would forgive me for it, but we haven't really spoken since."

Raven just stared at Garfield, somewhat dumbfounded.

"Wow ok that makes me feel a lot better about calling him. At least you fucked up worse than me." Raven felt a hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth, but she repressed it.

"Hey! I didn't sleep with Mr. Evil Money-Pants!" Garfield defended himself, not very convincingly.

"No, you just broke guy code, and slept with Nightwing's first love." Raven deadpanned, still fighting a smile. She paused, "Mr. Evil Money-pants?" She asked, the smile forcing its way onto her face.

"I.. Ok that wasn't one of my best." Gar's cheeks tinged pink as he looked at her.

"Honestly Gar, that may be one of the cutest things you've ever said to me." Raven almost giggled. Almost.

Garfield flashed her one of his boyish grins, and slid up beside her, resting his arm around her shoulders.

"Well, since we are both fucked, how's about we make that call?" Garfield smiled down at her.

Raven groaned. "I guess we have to, don't we?" She replied, her head leaning against his shoulder.

"We really, really do."


	21. Chapter 19

Gar's POV

Garfield sat at one end of the couch watching Raven carefully. After what had happened last night he couldn't be too careful. He had figured something like this would happen, but he hadn't expected her to lose control when she did. And he realized how much self control she had when the only time she let herself really break down was when she was in the confines of her own home, with him.

Raven was typing on her laptop, which was placed on the coffee table directly in front of him. She had called Nightwing and told him they needed to talk, and had insisted on a video chat.

There was no doubt Nightwing was perplexed by her seriousness. And by the fact that he hadn't spoken to her in quite awhile. Garfield had asked Raven not to tell Dick that he was there yet; he was afraid if Dick knew he wouldn't talk to them. And that wouldn't do. He decided that the best thing would be to have Raven start the video chat, and then have her introduce them calmly. Maybe if Richard could see how sorry he was for messing up their friendship, then maybe then he would be ok.

Garfield pulled himself out of his thoughts when he realized Raven was watching him.

"You ready?" she murmured, and he gave her a tiny smile.

"As I'll ever be" He replied, though there was little truth to the statement. Truthfully, the only other time he had seen Dick that mad at him was when the team had thought he had hurt Raven during their first meeting with the Beast. Garfield sighed, he was hoping that maybe time had healed Dick's wounds, though if the last time they had seen each other was any indication.. Garfield was screwed.

Raven clicked the 'Connect to Caller' button, and a tiny ringing noise sounded from the computer as the line contacted Nightwing's private line. There was a crackle of static, and then Richard's masked face appeared on the screen. He was seated in his office at his desk. Garfield recognized the wood paneling of the walls, and the familiar green leather chair he was sitting on. His voice was amiable when he greeted Raven.

"It's been awhile Rae, how've you been?" The masked man asked, a light smile gracing his handsome features. Even though you couldn't see his eyes, it was easy to tell there was a kindness in them.

"I've been... truthfully Richard I've been better." Raven replied in her classic monotone. It struck Garfield as odd, and he realized that Raven hadn't spoken to him like that in a while. It made him extremely happy to know that there was a side of her that only he got to see. He couldn't stop the smile that came over his face.

"Yeah, I could tell over the phone. What's up?" Concern laced his tone and his brows knitted together pensively.

"I really messed up, Dick. Bad. And I wish I could say I was smarter about the company I have kept, but truthfully I have gotten sloppy. I let my guard down because It had been so long since I felt like I had anything to hide." Raven's voice shook a little, but never broke her careful monotone.

"You're worrying me, Rae. What happened." Richard's lips set in a line, and he leaned forward against his desk.

"I have been seeing this guy.. this man. And I.. got in a little over my head." Raven paused, and Richard looked at her expectantly. She sighed and brushed an errant strand of hair out of her face. "We became pretty serious, but in the end he turned out to be someone.. he wasn't who I thought he was." Raven looked at Garfield, who was seated away from the camera, out of Richard's view.

"Look, long story short he found out my true identity. As well as.. Gar's."

Richard visibly winced at hearing Garfield's name, and Gar felt his stomach drop. Maybe time hadn't helped as much as he thought it would.

"How would he have figured that out, Raven. Last I checked you were avoiding him like the black plague."

Raven glanced at Garfield again, and it didn't go unnoticed. Garfield watched as Richard's face tensed up in some emotion Gar couldn't place, and then Richard spoke in an almost icy tone.

"Raven, is Garfield there with you now?"

Raven looked nervously at Garfield and sighed. Now was as good a time as any he supposed, and he stepped into the view of the camera. He let out a nervous noise, somewhere between a laugh and a wheeze, and waved at Richard.

"Uh, hey Dick. Long time no.. see" Garfield sat down next to Raven on the couch, trying to get a read on both of his former team mate's emotions. He was unable to do so for either.

"Just get to the point. How did this situation happen?" Richard stated, crossing his arms.

Raven opened her mouth to speak, but Dick cut her off.

"Actually, how did_ this_ happen." He asked, gesturing to the two of them. "Last I heard from you, Rae, the last thing you wanted was him."

Garfield looked at Raven, just in time to see her wince at his words. Gar's brow knit in worry, and a tinge of anger. He looked back at Richard, keeping himself silent for now.

"I only wanted to stay away from him because I.. I was scared of my feelings for him." Garfield's head jerked back to look at her, surprised that for the first time since this call had started, that her voice had feeling in it. He studied her profile and watched her lips tremble almost imperceptibly. "And Dick, you know that. I told you I was scared when the Titans disbanded. Weren't you the one that told me I had nothing to fear, that Garfield was a good guy and a good friend?" It was Raven's turn to cross her arms, and Richard's face blanched at her retort.

"I thought he was." Richard still refused to look Gar in the eyes.

"Oh, bullshit. Just because he had a fling with your ex does not negate every wonderful, good thing he's done for us and for our team. Seriously Grayson, I never took you for the immature type." Raven's anger was bubbling precariously just below her cool surface, and Garfield began to get nervous.

"Guys-" Garfield was cut off by Richard's angry answer.

"I told him what she meant to me, and he ignored it! He threw away our friendship for a _girl_." Garfield grimaced under the weight of Richard's accusations, and he couldn't help but feel the truth behind them.

"Honestly Richard, I don't think he did. I think you did. You weren't willing to let your friend be happy because you used to have feelings for this girl, how long ago, exactly?" Garfield's mouth dropped. This was insane, Raven defending Garfield after he had betrayed Richard.

"W-what?" Richard replied, clearly take aback.

"You heard me. You and Barb were ancient history by the time she and Gar were together. I understand she was your first love, but honestly that did not give you the right to forbid them from seeing each other."

"As I recall Raven, you were in much the same situation with Terra, weren't you?"

Raven's face clouded in anger. "That is _not_ the same and you know it! I never told Terra to stay away from him!"

"But you wanted her to. He was your first love and you never forgave her for for being his." Richard leaned back in his seat, arms crossed, relishing in leaving the empath stunned silent. Raven's eyes clenched shut, and her hands curled into fists in her lap.

"Listen man, that was uncalled for. Raven never tried to keep Terra and I apart." Garfield finally found his voice, coming to Raven's defense.

"But she didn't want you two together, either. She was selfish and wanted you for herself. She made Terra feel unwelcome because she couldn't see past her feelings for you."

"Shut up, Dick. Or you'll see a side of me you'll wish you hadn't," Raven threatened, meeting his gaze.

Richard clearly wasn't satisfied, but he had been on the receiving end of Raven's rage before and he didn't want to test her. Even though he was in Gotham and she was in Bludhaven, he wouldn't put it past her to teleport to him and cast him in to another dimension. He sighed and sat up straight.

"Alright, but this isn't finished, and I don't forgive you, Garfield." Richard looked at Gar for a second before continuing. "But what exactly is this call about."

Garfield sighed. He wished the worst was over, but something in the back of his mind told him things were only just beginning.


	22. Author's Note Number 3

Author's Note

Ok guys I am so sorry I haven't updated in a while. My fiance has been back in town for a little bit (we have a long distance relationship at the moment) and I've been focusing my time on him. He is leaving tomorrow though, so I will resume posting as soon as I can.

Thank you for being patient with me!

-Meg


	23. Chapter 20

Rae's POV

Raven stared out the small window of Nightwing's personal jet. He had sent it to Bludhaven to pick both herself and Garfield up and bring them back to Gotham. Raven heard Garfield sigh and she knew he was feeling the same as she was. She watched as Bludhaven's cityscape grew smaller and smaller under them, and was in no way sad to see it go.

"What are you thinking about?" Garfield's voice was soft and warm behind her ear. She turned until she was face to face with him, her nose brushing his.

"I'm thinking.. It's just that..." She murmured, closing her eyes slowly before continuing. "I have wasted so much time avoiding you, staying away from you, when really all I should have been doing was trying to be with you." Her eyes opened again and she was met with his emerald gaze. "How could I have been so blind, Gar?"

The last part came out as a whisper, and she almost wished he hadn't heard it.

"You are grieving right now, and you have every reason to. But don't think that just because this chapter of your life was rough that it means it doesn't belong in your book. And we found our way back to each other, right? We're gonna make it work, Rae." He ran both his hands through his hair and sighed. "Do not blame yourself. Don't let him destroy you. You are stronger than that."

"I am strong. But You have no idea what this has been like for me."

"Then tell me Raven. Let me see." His eyes burned in to hers and she felt her breath hitch.

"I .. can't. I'm sorry, I'm just not ready." She turned away from him and stared out the window. She hear him sigh and lean back in his seat.

"Whenever you're ready." He murmured.

It was only a short time before she heard his breath deepen and realized he had fallen asleep. She unbuckled her seatbelt and stood, grabbing her communicator from her bag. She scooted around him and walked to the back of the plane to the curtained area near the bathrooms. She leaned against the wall and flipped open her communicator.

"Dial Nightwing." She said softly so as not to wake Garfield. The ringing sounded quietly from the device, and she waited for him to pick up.

"Nightwing here." His voice crackled with static.

"Hey, it's me. Just checking in, we are a couple hours outside of Gotham, we should be there by midnight."

"Good. I'm going to be working late, Bruce has me working on a few things for him so I'll be at the office tonight. I'll let you know when I'll be back."

".. You wouldn't be working late to avoid seeing Gar tonight, would you?"

"Raven, come on. I have things to work on, I promise." He paused, thinking. "How is he, by the way?" He asked quietly.

"Nervous as hell, no thanks to you." She retorted, not bothering to hide her distaste.

"I'm sorry Rae, I really am. I know I haven't... handled this the best."

"Really? How could you tell."

"I'm doing the best I can. Look, I know I've been holding this grudge for too long but it.. it hurt. And I know you don't agree with my reasoning but I can't help how I felt." He was pacing, and she could see the large bay window of his office at Wayne Enterprises in the background.

"I know Dick. But he's been going out of his mind worried about seeing you again. And with everything happening we really can't afford a showdown between you two."

"I know, I won't let that happen. I promise." He sat down in a large leather arm chair. "Vic is on his way too. He's going to be here tomorrow, he's flying back from Japan."

"Japan?"

"He's been working on some designs for fully functional limb replacements, for people like him. He wants them to be accessible to the public, affordable and easy to use."

"He always wanted to help people. Has he finished his residency?"

"Yeah, He and Karen have been trying to start a family, actually."

"Wow. We are getting old, aren't we." Raven smirked, and Richard smiled knowingly back at her.

"I guess we are."

"Is Kori coming?" Raven couldn't help but admit she truly missed her best friend.

"I don't know, she's pretty busy lately. She visited last summer, but things between us have been rocky. I don't know if having her here would be worth it."

"I miss her, Dick."

"I know, she misses you too. But you know how things are for her now, there's no rest for royalty."

"Yeah, I guess there isn't."

"I'll call her if you want, but don't get your hopes up. Plus, the last time she was here we had a bit of a..."

"A?"

"We haven't been right for awhile. She wants a relationship, but she has so many responsibilities. I can't be that burden for her. So I did a pretty shitty thing."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I told her I wasn't interested anymore. I told her we weren't gonna work." She could hear the mirth in his voice.

"Dick..."

"I had to! She can't be worrying about me while she's over there. It's too much."

"I think that would be for her to decide."

"I have to do what's best for her."

"And did you really?"

"Drop it."

"Whatever Boy Blunder." Raven sighed, she was sad for her friend. Kori had been in love with Dick for as long as Raven could remember. She knew her friend's heart was broken. "I think Gar is gonna wake up soon, I have to get back."

"Ok, Alfred will be here to greet you when you arrive. I've had him prepare your usual rooms."

"Thanks Dick. See you soon."

"Yeah." He paused again. "Rae?"

"Hmm?"

"I won't stay mad forever. I do miss him."

"I know."

"Nightwing Out."

Raven closed her communicator and leaned her head back against the wall, letting her eyes flutter shut. She breathed deeply, thinking about the conversation she just had.

"A-hem."

Raven looked up, startled. Garfield was standing by the aisle, watching her.

"You're up." She whispered. He nodded and ran a hand through his hair. "Are you ok?"

"Do you think he meant what he said?" He murmured, crossing his arms.

"How long were you listening?"

"Just the end."

"Yeah, I do."

He stepped closer to her, grasping her arm lightly. "You ok?" He asked, reaching his other hand up to brush her hair out of her eyes. "You seem tense."

"How could I not be?" She replied, studying his face.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But we're gonna figure this out."

"I.. ok." She stared down at her sock-clad feet. She had ditched her boots by her seat. The jet was fully carpeted, and more resembled a loft than a plane. There was a bar near the front, complete with wine spritzers and an arrangement of liquors, and a leather couch on either side in addition to the seats. There was a flatscreen, and a stereo system. All in all, the jet was truly comfortable. With the plush carpets there was no need for shoes anyways.

"Stop this. You're worrying and you need to relax. What happens will happen. And you know I'd never let anyone hurt you. You know I'm gonna protect you with my life, Rae." He cupped her face with his hands.

"I know. I really do. I'm sorry, I can't help feeling this way." She tugged the sleeves of her plain black oversized hoodie down over her hands and fidgeted.

"Relax Rae, Relax," He murmured, dropping his lips to her cheek. He kissed along her jaw, coming to a stop at her ear. "I got you. You're safe."

She shivered as his breath hit her ear, and brought her hands up to rest on his shoulders. He reached between them and grasped the zipper toggle on her hoodie. Her breath hitched as he pulled it down in one swift motion, leaving her bare in only her sports bra. She gasped as he began to suckle on her collar bone.

"Gar.." She let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding when he reached under her, pulling her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist. He pinned her against the wall and continued to kiss her neck.

"We shouldn't-" She began, but he pulled back to look her in the eye and interrupted her.

"Tell me to stop and I will." He held her gaze, silently willing her to make him stop. But she clamped her mouth shut, instead reaching between them to undo his belt.

And truthfully, he knew she wouldn't have asked him to.


	24. Chapter 21

GPOV

The jet landed shortly after midnight, and Garfield and Raven made their way inside the massive Wayne mansion. They were met by Alfred at the entryway.

"Master Logan, good to finally see you again." Alfred said, nodding his acknowledgement to Raven as well.

"And you, Alfred."

Alfred smiled warmly and led them both to their rooms. Raven's was near the front of the house so when the sun rose it came through her windows. The decorations were modest, which was saying something. There was a large bed with burgundy sheets and a down comforter near the large bay window. There was a vanity table with a long mirror that went across the top. Raven put her bags down on the leather arm chair in the corner. She pulled her pajamas from the small suitcase and turned back to them.

"Thanks Alfred." She smiled the tiniest Raven-esque smile.

"Of course. Breakfast will be served at 9, although you are not required to attend. And your favorite jasmine tea has been stocked, as per requested by Master Richard. It is in the usual spot." He gave a small bow and turned from her room, motioning for Garfield to follow. Garfield glanced back at Raven and held her gaze for a moment. She nodded, and walked towards her private bathroom to change her clothes. Garfield followed Alfred down the hall and around the corner to his room. It was one of the bigger rooms, and it hadn't changed a bit since he had lived there 4 years ago. He stepped inside the room and turned back to Alfred.

"Thanks Al, it looks great. Same as always." Garfield gave Alfred his warmest smile and leaned against the doorway.

"Breakfast is at-"

"9, thanks." He paused for a moment, sizing Alfred up. "How has he been?" Alfred stood up a little straighter and sighed.

"Oh, you know Master Richard, there are good days and there are bad. He's been doing well though. Working overtime at Wayne Enterprises and his.. personal endeavors have kept him very busy."

Garfield nodded and rested his hand on Alfred's shoulder. "Thanks for setting up my room, I'll see you for breakfast."

"Good night Master Logan"

As soon as Alfred had walked away Garfield yanked off his pants and shirt and changed into his pajamas. He checked his communicator quickly, and then pocketing it, made his way swiftly down the hall. He reached Raven's room and paused to collect himself before he knocked on her door softly. The door opened almost instantaneously and he knew she had been aware of his presence since he left his room. He slipped through the open door and into her arms, and buried his face in the crook of her neck.

"I've missed you" He murmured against her neck. He felt her smile as he squeezed her a little tighter.

"We just spent an entire 3 hour flight together."

"Does that mean I'm not allowed to miss you, Rae?" He asked, chuckling. He pulled back to look her in the eyes. He saw the hint of a grin at the corners of her lips.

"You never tire, do you?" She asked, sighing.

"Of you? Of course not." He cupped her cheek with one of his hands, the other still wrapped around her waist. "Why, are you tired of me?" His smirk was playful.

"You know the answer to that." She almost smirked back. He pushed his way into her room, lifting her up lightly with the arm that was still wrapped around her, and carried her to the bed. She used her magic and the door swung shut behind them with a dull thud.

"This is a mighty big house, you know." He said, his voice low. "There's no need to be quiet here." His hands began to run along her thighs as he crouched over her on the bed.

"And how do you know that, Mr. Logan?" She teased, "Speaking from experience, are we?" The look on his face was priceless: His jaw slackened minutely and his eyes widened ever so slightly. She reached a hand up and closed his mouth. "I'll take that as a yes." She rolled out from under him and sat up. "As tempting as that offer sounds, I'm actually quite tired. You.. " She seemed to be searching for a word, "_wore_ me out on the plane."

"I.. Ok. Can I at least sleep with you tonight?" He asked tentatively. He gave her the biggest puppy eyes he could manage. She sighed and smiled.

"I guess I really can't stop you, can I?"

"Nope" He said cheerily as he quickly snuggled under her covers. "Honestly, I do think you have the better bed though. But maybe I'm just partial to its occupant."

"Sure, sure." Raven sighed as she slipped into bed next to him. She backed herself up against him, rightfully claiming her spot as 'little spoon'. "You're just lucky I'm generous. If you weren't so cute," Raven paused to yawn, "You'd be alone in your own bed, Logan."

"Are we going by last names now?" He chuckled, letting his breath tickle her neck.

"Yours has a certain ring to it, I'll admit."

"Anything's better than Garfield."

She craned her neck around to look at him in the eyes. "Now that is not true. I love your name. "

"I seem to remember you being the first to make fun of it when my name was revealed."

"Gar, we were kids. I was, what, 16? Can you blame me?"

"No, but I do blame those stupid cat comics. Seriously, they ruined my childhood." He smiled at her, in spite of his words. She blinked sleepily back at him, struggling to stay awake.

"Well you turned out just fine, regardless." Raven was slipping in to sleep fast.

"Goodnight, beautiful" Gar whispered into her hair, but he knew she probably didn't hear it. He had lost her to her dreams.


	25. Chapter 22

Hey guys!

So before I get on with this next chapter I have some things I'd like to address:

I realize that not all of what I write is canon, or follows the d.c. universe exactly, but I try to stick to it as much as possible while still leaving wiggle room.

For Pheonix09, to answer your question Kori and Karen are Starfire and Bumble Bee. Their real names are Koriand'r and Karen Beecher.

To the rest of my readers I want to say thanks so much for all the reviews/favs/follows. Seriously, they keep me going. If you guys have any suggestions, comments, concerns, etc.. well, ya'll know the drill :)

Also, I shall work on making longer lemons!

Thanks again!

- Meg

RPOV

Raven was sitting on the counter in the Wayne Estate's extensive kitchen area. She was seated next to the stove waiting for the water kettle to boil. She watched her legs dangle as they swung back and forth below her. In her hands she lightly grasped what was undoubtedly a priceless tea cup that Alfred had left out for her. Its delicate china felt almost weightless to her. She glanced at the digital clock above the stove and sighed. It was 4 in the morning. She hadn't been able to sleep, though her green companion had been out like a light and god knew when he would be awake. He had always been known to value his sleep.

Raven was pulled out of her thoughts by the obnoxious screech of the tea kettle announcing the water had boiled. She sighed, hopped off the counter, and pulled the kettle off the burner. She had just poured her tea when she sensed him.

"Did you really think you could just sneak past me, Dick?" She whispered calmly. Behind her, she heard Richard sigh and slump against the wall.

"Guess it was worth a shot, right?" He replied. She listened as he loosened his tie and kicked off his shoes.

"So were you lying when you said you weren't avoiding anything by working late tonight?" Raven turned around, her eyes boring into his. Her hands rested on the counter behind her, and she leaned her weight against it. He grimaced and stood up straighter.

"I'm tired, so sue me! I didn't wanna have to deal with anyone after the day at work I've had. Why on earth are you still awake, anyways? Do you know what ti-"

"Four. In the morning. And unlike you I do not have work to throw myself in to. I do not have that luxury. I do not have distractio-"

"What about him." Richard interrupted, referencing Garfield. Raven's eyes darkened in anger.

"Are you trying to insinuate that he is merely a.. distraction?" She bristled under the weight of her words.

"Look all I'm saying is he annoyed the living piss out of you when we were kids and now that he's a _man _you suddenly wanna be with him? Seems a little.." He stopped and sized her up. She held his gaze and scowled.

"A little what, Dick?" She growled.

Richard suddenly looked extremely tired, and he ran a hand over his face.

"You know what, never mind. You don't need to explain to me why you are suddenly all over him. I get it, he has this.. _charm_ with women, they just fall in to his bed. Obviously you just can't help yoursel-"

He was cut off by the force of Raven's hand hitting his face. She had slapped him hard enough that his whole face turned to the side with the movement. The echo of the hit rang throughout the room, and he stared at the floor, not moving. Her eyes were murderous and she tried to contain herself. She was silent for a moment, waiting for him to speak. When he didn't she clenched her fists at her sides.

"Don't you dare. You have no right, Dick, _none_. You may have been our leader, and you know I would still do anything for you, but do not misunderstand where my loyalties lie. I am with Garfield. You had better get used to it."

He still would not meet her eyes. She let out a small noise of frustration and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Why." He said so quietly she almost didn't hear him.

"Why what?"

"Why are you with him. What's so special about him?"

"If you have to ask me that then you were never really his friend."

His eyes lifted to look at her finally. They were sad and angry and hurt.

"Was I?" He whispered. She took a step back, shocked by his answer.

She turned on her heel and, picking up her tea, teleported from the room leaving a very moody Richard in her wake.


	26. Chapter 23

Hey guys!

To clear up Richard's response, he was saying he wasn't sure he ever really was friends with Gar. He and Gar have always had some.. problems. And He was just questioning if they ever really were friends. (Not to spoil things, but this will be resolved later.) For the purpose of this story, I will be adding quite a bit of angst to the two boys relationship.

Thanks again, keep reviewing :)

Meg

GARPOV

Garfield's eyes fluttered open and he groaned. The sun was way too... sunny. He rolled over onto his stomach and buried his face in his arms. He heard a light chuckle from behind him and he lifted his head just enough to look at the empath on his right. She was levitating just above the bed in lotus position, her hands poised for meditation.

"Finally awake, I see." She had a hint of a smile on her pretty features. He sighed and plopped his head back into the cradle of his arms, back to darkness.

"Not on purpose, the sun woke me up. What time is it anyways?" He replied, a slight wine to his voice.

"Sunrise." She replied, her voice quiet and tranquil. He bolted upright and stared at her, gaping.

"Sunrise? Are you kidding me? Why on earth are we up this early?" He blanched and let out another massive groan.

"Oh don't be such a drama queen. What's so wrong with waking early?" She was watching him with an amused expression. He rolled over onto his back and propped himself up on his elbows.

"Rae, you are not normal. Most people don't _want_ to get up with the sun. Most people want to sleep in. This," He gestured to her meditating form, "Is not normal."

She frowned and slowly set herself down on the bed. She crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. "Richard wakes early."

"Case and point." Garfield muttered, rolling his eyes as well. "And plus, we haven't exactly kept the most... normal company. Our best friends were an alien, a half-robot, and an anal-retentive acrobat."

"You're green." Raven deadpanned. Garfield sputtered a bit and stared at her.

"Rae, I wasn't claiming that I _was _normal, just that our friends aren't either."

"Just so long as you understand that sleeping until 4 in the afternoon isn't something others would deem as normal either." She replied, and she scooted herself off the bed. She stretched her arms over her head and let out a tiny yawn. "Plus, it's good that you've woken up early today, we have a lot to do."

She stood up from the bed and made her way over to the spot where she had left her suitcase. She unzipped the bag and pulled from it what appeared to be a bundle of leather and kevlar. She turned back to him while staring at the mass of fabric in her hands. "I haven't worn this in.. in ages." She murmured. Her eyes flicked up to his face. He stared at the fabric and he sighed.

"I guess.. I guess now's as good a time as any to.. put it back on?" He replied, silently kicking himself for not knowing what to say. He thought back to his own uniform waiting patiently for him back in his room. He couldn't even remember the last time he had worn it.

Well.. that wasn't necessarily true. More, he didn't want to remember. The last time he had worn it, he had been on a mission with Babs and Dick. That was the day everything had blown up in his face. That was a day he wished he never had to think about ever again.

He pulled himself up so he was sitting cross legged, elbows on his knees, and watched her carefully. She was staring at her uniform again, stretching the fabric between her hands, lost in thought.

"Rae?" he asked, quietly. Her eyes darted back to his face and she forced out an awkward laugh.

"Sorry, Just being stupid. Sentimental." She replied. She tossed the uniform on to the bed and brought her hands to the hem of her shirt. In one swift movement it was over her head and on the ground. He watched as she kicked her sleep shorts off and deposited them next to her shirt. She picked the uniform back up, eyeing it warily. She slid it up over her long legs, over her stomach, and up over her arms to her shoulders. Her black energy encased the zipper toggle on the back and it slid up to the top.

She met his gaze again and swallowed, hard.

"How.. how does it look?" She whispered, smoothing her hands over her stomach nervously.

He stared at her. Truthfully, it looked better than he ever remembered it.

"It's-"

Suddenly there was a knock at her door. Raven glanced at Gar before turning and using her magic to open the door. Richard was standing there, first still raised in knocking position. He opened his mouth to speak but stopped when he saw Gar sitting on her bed, hair mussed and eyes still sleepy.

"Yes?" Raven asked, slightly amused, slightly annoyed, by his presence. She crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her hip.

"I knew you would be up early and I was hoping we could.. talk." He glanced at Garfield again, "Alone." He stood up straighter and stared at Raven, willing her to agree and come with him.

"Whatever you have to say you can say here." She replied, her tone sounding bored, but Garfield knew better. Something must have happened.

Richard stiffened and continued to stare at Raven, mute.

"God, fine." She sighed and dropped her arms. She turned to Garfield, climbed across the bed, and gave him a big kiss straight on his mouth. Gar was too surprised to close his eyes, or really even to enjoy it.

"Really?" Came Richard's disgruntled voice from behind them. He began muttering to himself, clearly annoyed.

Raven finally peeled herself from Gar's lap and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She stood and walked over to where Richard was.

"Get ready, take your time. Be down for breakfast at 9, we will talk then." She gave Gar a tiny smile. He nodded and sighed. Raven closed the door behind her and RIchard as they left.

Garfield let his body fall back against the bed and he let out a loud groan. "_Fuck._"

'Might as well take a shower first.' He thought to himself. He stood up and made his way to Raven's bathroom. He flipped on the light switch and stared at himself in the mirror, willing himself to be calm. Something about this whole situation had his nerves up in bunches. He sighed for the hundredth time that morning and began shucking his clothes from his body.

"Shower, on. 84 degrees." He announced to the voice activated shower. The shower immediately responded, and water began to pour from the spout. He stepped in and let the water, which was the perfect temperature, spill over his head.

He took his time in the shower, almost falling asleep standing up. He washed himself with Raven's shower gel, and used her shampoo to wash his hair. He didn't mind, he loved the way she smelled anyways.

He excited the shower and checked the time, which read 8:39. He dried himself off and pulled his sleep pants back on before making his way to his room. He was walking down the hall when he passed by the 3rd parlor room in the Wayne estate, the one 4 doors down from his room, and stopped when he heard hushed voices. If it weren't for his animal hearing he wouldn't have been able to make out what they were saying through the closed door. He crouched and peered through the keyhole. Raven was standing a few feet away from Richard, arms crossed, looking a mixture of bored and angry. Richard, by contrast, looked exasperated and... sad?

"Well maybe you should have thought about that before you said it, Dick." Raven sounded exponentially pissed.

"I was tired. You know my temper."

"Yes. I'm aware."

"I didn't mean to.. to bring that up."

"The past is the past. Lets just let it stay that way."

"I really.. I really am sorry. Honestly I was just overworked and tired." He was muttering now.

"Well _honestly_ I am not the person you need to be apologizing to." Came her biting reply.

"No."

"No?"

"Not yet. I can't talk to him about it yet."

"Then we are done here." She made a move for the door but Richard grabbed her forearm and pulled her back to him. She collided against his chest with a startled yelp.

"Dick!" she gasped angrily. "Let the _fuck_ go."

"Just wait, ok?" He replied, tightening his grip on her forearm.

"What?" She spat, "You clearly aren't in the mood to really talk about this since your only reply has been that you refuse to.. to actually talk!"

"You're right. I don't want to talk." His face was mere inches from hers and her breath was caught in her throat.

"..Let go. Now." Richard pulled her ever so slightly closer.. just the tiniest bit.. and then let go. He turned away from her and walked over to the glass double doors leading out to the balcony.

"You never would have chosen me, would you?" He whispered, his back still turned to her, his hands resting on the curved door handles. His shoulders looked tense, yet somehow Raven's looked tenser.

".. You don't want me to answer that." She whispered in reply. Her hand unconsciously lifted to rub the sore spot from where he had grabbed her.

He sighed, the tension leaving his body, and pushed the doors open, leaving her behind.

Garfield watched as Raven gathered herself, attempting to calm her nerves. She turned and made her way out the door, and for the second time in their short relationship, walked straight in to a seething Garfield.


	27. Chapter 24

RaePOV

"Gee Rae, lies and deceit and it ain't even breakfast yet. We must be on a roll today." He crossed his arms over his chest and glowered down at her. Raven all but panicked. She knew she shouldn't, but that didn't really stop her from doing just that.

"I.. can explain that. Really.." She said quietly.

"You know, a lot of things are starting to suddenly make sense." He quipped. He continued to pin her with his stare.

"It.. wasn't what it looked like-" she tried to reason, but he interrupted her.

"Really? It wasn't my ex-best friend almost kissing my girlfriend?" He jabbed, his temper surfacing again.

"...Ok so maybe it was but you don't know the whole story-"

"Enlighten me, Raven." He leaned back against the wall and waited for her to commence said enlightenment. She grimaced and ran both her hands through her hair nervously.

"It was a very, very long time ago. When we had just decided to split up as a team. He was upset over Kori. She had just told him she was going to be moving back to Tamaran to rule. He was... vulnerable." She murmured, her eyes staring off into space for a moment.

"..And?"

"And so was I. He knew I had.. feelings for you. I was upset because I knew I wasn't going to be able to face you enough to tell you. I felt like I was losing the only real family I had ever had. You guys were everything to me.. We were both.. upset.." Her eyes dropped to her feet and she suddenly became very interested in the wood floor. "We had a bit of a .. more than friendly relationship for a bit.. to.. relieve stress." She finished quietly.

He stared at her while she fidgeted. "You slept together." He said, his voice level and calm, but still distinctly cold.

"..For awhile, yes." She whispered. She still wouldn't look at him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He looked calm. The only thing that gave him away was the way his knuckles turned white and his fingers dug into his forearms.

"I didn't feel like you.. needed to know."

"... Are you kidding? You're my _girlfriend_, Rae, do you not know what that means? Wouldn't you care if I had..._ relations_ with one of your close friends?"

"That's your business, not mine-"

"Bullshit." He snapped. Her eyes darted up to meet his and she swallowed. "It wouldn't bother you. At all. Not even a little?"

"I.. It's not my business what you-"

"You're lying. Rae. I'm an animal. I can hear your heartbeat." He paused, assessing her. "Plus. I _know_ you, I can _read_ you. And you are _lying_."

Raven sighed and slumped back against the door and closed her eyes. "Fine. It would bother me. But I didn't want to make a big deal out of this. Especially with how things are between you two.. this it the last thing you need."

"So.. when exactly were you planning on telling me about all of this?"

"When it became necessary for you to know."

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I think the minute you and I became involved was the time I needed to know. You're my girlfriend." He growled and rubbed a hand over his face.

"I'm sorry I-" Raven started, standing up from the door and reaching out to him, but she was cut off by the door opening behind her.

"Raven I-" Richard stopped when he realized what he had just walked in to. "Oh."

"Literally, could you have picked a worse time to walk through that door, DIck?" Raven groaned and covered her face with her hand.

"I'm.. just gonna go get breakfas-" Richard tried to squeeze past the two.

"Really I think you should stay, we've just been talking about how much of a hypocrite you actually are." Garfield mused, recrossing his arms. Richard stared at him blankly.

"Excuse me?"

"Gar, can we not-" Raven tried to interject.

"No I really think we should," Gar interrupted.

"We should what?" RIchard asked.

"Please can we just talk about this first-" Raven asked.

"What's there to talk about? You seem fine with everything Rae."

"How do you know what she thinks?" Richard interjected, much to Raven's dismay. "Face it, Logan, you don't know her as well as you thought you did."

"And you think sleeping with her makes you an expert?" Garfield retorted.

"Well, I know her well enough that she let me be her first."

Both Garfield and Raven fell into shocked silence, while Richard continued to scowl at Garfield.

"Dick-" Raven started to say.

"You conveniently left that part out, Raven." Garfield said through clenched teeth.

"You were just getting so upset already and I-"

"She didn't wanna hurt your little feelings" Richard finished haughtily.

"Listen you piece of-" Garfield had taken a menacing step forward at the same time Richard did, But Raven forced herself in between the two of them.

"ENOUGH! That is enough!" She yelled, effectively silencing the two men and halting their advances.

"...What the fuck did I just walk in to?" Came a deep voice from behind them.

All three turned their heads to look at a very confused Victor, holding his bags and cocking an eyebrow.


	28. Chapter 25

GarPOV

Raven let out an extremely uncharacteristic squeal of delight, and flung her arms around the large tin man. Victor looked surprised by her outburst, but he picked her up and spun her around before setting her down and ruffling her violet hair. She had a huge grin on her face, which she quickly tried to subdue.

"When did your flight get in?" Raven asked, her hands clasped around Victor's arm. Victor smiled down at her.

"Just about 45 minutes ago. Alfred had the limo waiting for me at the airport and brought me back here. The old guy wanted to bring my bags up himself but I told him like hell. I'm twice his size and a third of his age!" Victor chuckled amiably. He glanced around at his 3 friends, and the atmosphere was not lost on him. He could see past their plastered on smiles.

"How was the flight?" Richard asked. The stress was still apparent in his friendly blue eyes even though he tried to hide it. From all those years of wearing a mask he hadn't yet mastered how to hide emotions from his eyes. He never had to until recently.

"Long. Boring. The usual." He replied before eyeing the two men carefully. "So what exactly did I interrupt, here?" He asked again, and Richard rolled his eyes.

"Nothing. We are fine. Everybody's just tense about the situation with Luke." Richard replied, this time using his 'In Charge' voice. Raven shot him a warning glare, which Richard kindly ignored.

"Yeah. Luke. That's what this was about." Garfield muttered quietly.

"What was that, B?" Victor asked, clearly having heard him.

"Nothing. We are fine." Richard repeated, eyeing Garfield warily.

Garfield sighed. This was all such bullshit. "Welcome home buddy. I'm gonna go finish getting ready." He gave Victor a warm smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. He then turned back to the other two standing before him. "Don't expect me at breakfast." He said, turning on his heel and walking away.

As he was walking away he could hear his friends hushed whispers. They should know by now he could always hear them.

"Ok so _who_ did _what_ to B. to make him like that?" Vic whispered accusingly. Raven sighed almost angrily.

"Nothing. None of your business." Richard said adamantly.

"It's my family, I think it's my business-"

"Guys seriously can we have 5 minutes of peace-" Raven's voice sounded tired.

Garfield turned into his bedroom and closed the door. He sighed and plopped back against the door, letting himself slide down to the ground.

"_Fuck_." He mumbled, rubbing his hand over his face.

"You can say that again." Raven murmured from across the room. Garfield jumped up, startled.

"You can't just appear in people's rooms like that Raven, it's fucking scary!" Garfield tried to keep the anger out of his voice. "Not to mention a massive invasion of privacy."

"You walked away." She replied calmly.

"I think I'm allowed to go where I want." Garfield snapped. He walked over to his bag and pulled out his uniform. He turned the red and white fabric over in his hands, studying the stitching thoughtfully. "Do you mind?" He turned back at her and stared, expectantly.

"Are.. Are you serious? I think we are a little past turning around while the other one changes." She paused and her eyes ran over his body. She lowered her voice and stepped a little closer. "Plus, I've already seen _all_ of you." The way she said it was so matter of fact, so honest. He knew she was right, but for some reason right now he felt more naked in front of her than he ever had before, despite still being dressed.

When he continued to just stare at her she sighed. "Fine." She turned around. He stared at her petit figure. She was standing there only in her leather leotard and one sock from how Richard had interrupted her getting ready. He loved the way her hair barely skimmed her shoulders, and how the leather clung to her in all the right places.

"Fuck it." He muttered before stepping towards her and catching her in his arms. He spun her around and pushed her against the wall. His lips were on hers in an instant.

"Gar-" she tried to break away from his crushing kiss but he just grabbed her face and pulled her back. His hands ran along her body, from her thighs to her hips to her waist to her breasts and then coming to a rest on her throat. He squeezed lightly and she let out a moan.

"No more talking" He growled, grabbed her by her hips and flipped her around so her frontside was pushed up against the wall, her back to him. He yanked down her zipper and heard her gasp as the cold air hit her skin.

"But shouldn't we-"

"Shut up" He said gruffly as he pushed her leotard down to her ankles. "We'll talk later."

He grunted as he pushed himself into her and she let out a strangled moan. He wrapped his fingers in her hair and pulled her head back, at the same time pushing himself in a little farther. Her sharp intake of breath let him know he had hit the right spot. He smirked. He kissed her neck, his other hand resting on her hip and his fingers were digging into her skin harshly.

He didn't bother to start slow, or to let her adjust. He began long rough strokes setting a quick rhythm. He let his head fall back and his eyes close as a low moan escaped his lips. Raven was trying to keep her balance as he pushed her against the wall while simultaneously trying to push against him to match his thrusts. He reveled in the sounds of her moans as they became breathier and more labored as she tried to keep up with him. He opened his eyes and ran his hands over her body. He reached around her and cupped one of her breasts and she sucked in a sharp breath at his touch. Raven cried out as he leaned down and bit into her shoulder, and he felt her walls clench around him. He felt her body begin to shudder against him and he continued to thrust roughly into her. He fought to keep his breathing steady as his thrusts became frenzied and he felt her first orgasm ripple over him. She was gasping and trying to hold her body upright but she could barely stand up anymore. He stopped and pulled out of her before picking her up bridal-style and carrying her over to the bed. He tossed her down and climbed over her until he was on top. His hands cupped her breasts and he nipped at her lips lightly. His touch was firm and rough and he didn't bother with gentleness. He pushed her legs open and positioned himself in front of her. He thrust into her sharply and clamped a hand over her mouth to muffle her scream of pleasure. She kept her eyes on him as he began to work over her, keeping his fast steady pace. Her hands reached up and settled on his shoulders. Her nails bit into his skin as she tried to hold on to him. He moved his hand from her mouth and leaned down, enveloping her lips in a scorching kiss. He reached between them and began to rub her lightly and the moan she let out was ragged. She clenched her eyes shut and dug her nails harder into his skin as she came for a second time. He buried his head in the crook of her neck and groaned at the feeling of her muscles pulsing around him. He felt how close he was and picked up that pace, pumping in to her as hard as he could. With one final thrust he came, his body collapsing onto hers in exhaustion. As soon as his orgasm ended he rolled off of her and draped his arm over his face. He let out a groan of frustration and clenched his fists.

Raven laid on her back next to him as she stared up at the ceiling and tried to slow her breathing. They stayed like that for a couple minutes until finally Raven turned her head to look at him.

"This is all just a special kind of messed up, isn't it." She murmured at him. Nodding, he moved his arm and turned his head to look at her.

Maybe things were beyond fixing.


	29. Chapter 26

RaePOV

Raven sat up and and crossed her legs indian style, leaning her elbows on her knees. She dropped her head into her hands and let out a shaky breath.

"I know.. what you must think of me-" She began.

"No, I don't think you do." He muttered. He sat up too, knees bent with his arms resting lightly over his legs. "I gotta know. Did you love him?" he asked, his eyes boring into hers.

"I.. yes. I did but... that's in the past. We loved each other and it was good but it's over and we've both moved on."

"That's really not what it looked like."

"_I've_ moved on. That's what matters."

"So you don't still love him?"

"Not like I used to."

"That's not really saying much."

"I don't want to be with him, I want to be with you!" She exclaimed. "Look. I'm just really sorry," She paused and looked at him, her hair clinging to her sweaty neck and forehead. "I should have been honest."

"Yeah, you should have." He glanced over at her and sighed. "I can't keep doing this. It can't be this way for us. We can't keep things from each other and we can't lie to each other. You can't just let bombs drop around me and expect me to be ok."

"I know, and I know I've been a real ass with everything. I have no excuses for my actions. I understand if you hate me, or don't want to be with me after everything-"

"God Rae you don't get it." He let out an exasperated breath and stared at her. "I could never hate you. Quite the opposite. I love you. I am stupidly, unwaveringly, ceaselessly in love with you and quite frankly right now it sucks. I wish I could just walk away. But I can't. You mean everything to me and I don't know how to make you see that." He tried to keep the bitterness from his voice but he knew there was no use, she always saw through him. "Look, I know you. I know this is new to you. I don't expect you to get it overnight. But I gotta know that you're gonna be on my side through this. Through life."

"I... you know I love you too. I know I haven't always done what's best for us but I'm trying to fix that. I'm a selfish person, I've only ever had to live for myself. I've never had to take care of another person like I do with you. And I know you've been taking care of me and I want to return that but I feel like such a child! I'm so _naive _and I can't keep up with you..." She watched him, feeling so small next to him. His jaw was clenched and he kept fidgeting with his hands. "I'll follow you anywhere, do anything, to keep what we have. And I'm sorry I haven't been able to prove that yet. But I'll spend the rest of forever trying to." She reached out and touched his arm lightly, and his eyes darted up to meet hers.

Suddenly he grabbed her arm and yanked her forward into his chest, enveloping her in a big hug. He buried his face in her hair and felt her shudder as she tried to catch her breath. She reached up and wrapped one arm around his neck, the other burying in his hair. She ran her hand through his hair and breathed him in. He smelled so good, his smell was even comforting. Like musky pine and something all his own. She smiled against his neck and let out a sigh.

"Don't you _dare_ leave." He whispered into her hair. "Don't you dare."

She held on tighter at his words and felt her breath catch. "Never." She breathed against him.

Just then there was a knock at the door.

"Moment ruiner" Gar muttered under his breath.

"It's Vic." She murmured. "Just a second" She called out, and they heard him give a muffled 'ok'.

She quickly grabbed both their uniforms, tossing his to him. She pulled hers on and then, after making sure they were both fully dressed, walked over and opened the door.

"Hey," She smiled at him, "What's up."

"You guys have been in here for awhile, I just wanted to make sure everything was ok, and ask if you were gonna grab breakfast."

"Oh gosh, it's already 10 now. Guess we should." Raven glanced at Gar, who nodded an affirmation.

"You guys ok?" Victor asked tentatively.

Raven glanced again at Garfield, who met her gaze and smiled.

"We're good." Garfield said, pushing past Raven and VIctor into the hallway. "Now I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving!" He smiled at them and started off down the hall.

VIctor looked down at Raven. "You sure ya'll are ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, I actually think we are." She murmured.

They made their way to one of the 3 large dining areas (There was a separate one for breakfast, lunch and dinner). When they entered the room, Richard looked up from his spot at the head of the table. He gave them a small smile and returned to eating his eggs. There was a spread on the table of assorted fruits, eggs (both scrambled and fried), bacon, toast, apple and orange juice, and an assortment of tofu items for Garfield. In short, it was basically a feast.

"Damn, Dick you really went all out!" Vic exclaimed, taking a seat and proceeding to pile his plate.

"Honestly it was Al, you know how the ol' guy is. He always wants everything to be perfect. He's a worrier." Richard chuckled and glanced hesitantly at Raven. Raven met his gaze and gave an almost imperceptible nod. Richard smiled, but it was fake.

Once they had all gotten their food they fell into silence as they ate.

"So, Karen says Hi.." Victor said awkwardly, trying to break the silence. Raven looked up at him and gave him a tiny smile for trying.

"How is she?" She asked politely.

"Good. Just got promoted. We haven't celebrated yet since I've been in Japan. And now I'm here." He replied before taking a sip of orange juice.

"That's great," Raven nodded, "Any luck in the kid department yet?" She asked, flashing him a grin.

"Oh, you know how it is. None yet, but we are still trying." He grinned back at her.

"God that makes me feel so old" Garfield interjected. "The idea of any of us having kids just astounds me."

"Yeah it's pretty intense. But you know I really think Karen and I are ready. At least, she is. And I'll catch up at some point." He chuckled.

"You'll make a great father." Raven said, and touched his arm gently. "You're the best big brother I could have asked for." She smiled up at him.

"Oh don't start that, you're gonna make me cry Rae!" He said, and gently ruffled her hair.

"Well I felt like it needed to be said." She replied, and stirred some honey into her tea.

"A lot of things need to be said." Dick mumbled to himself.

"Some mood you're in" Gar muttered back. Richard glared at him from across the table.

"Guys, come on we were doing so good!" Vic said, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"It's just hard to be around him when-" Richard started angrily.

"Dick stop-" Raven interjected

"God can we all just stop?" Victor exclaimed. He stared at his three friends as he threw his hands up in the air. "Would you listen to us? We are supposed to be a family!"

"Yeah that's us, just one big incest-y family." Richard muttered, earning an angry glare from Victor, a shocked stare from Raven, and a pissed snarl from the green member of their team.

"Woooow, can you not?" Raven deadpanned. She rolled her eyes and tried not to stare at him, but she was finding it hard.

"... Images I never wanted..." Victor mumbled.

"Look we all lived together for so long it's only natural that we.. shared.. certain things." Richard finished, looking at Raven out of the corner of his eye.

"We are really not having this discussion at _breakfast_. This is not the time!" Raven exclaimed.

"Then when is the time?" Richard replied, standing up so fast his chair skidded backwards, almost toppling over. "There is never going to _be_ a good time, Raven. We need to stop avoiding the obvious."

"And what is that, _Dick_?" Garfield asked, mirth in his tone.

"We aren't _capable_ of being friends anymore."


	30. Chapter 27

Sooo I was just thinking and I don't think I ever explained what I think the titans would look like at this age (Or at all). Sooo I kind of feel like Raven would look like Phoebe Tonkin (with short black/violet hair). But she just has that very petit delicate face that I imagine Raven to have. I also imagine Garfield to be like Chris Zylka. Just that pretty boy ish vibe. He always seemed like a playboy to me lol. He also seems like he could do goofy well. I thought of Lily Collins for Star, with red hair of course. I think she has that sexyness but also the cuteness that starfire has. I envision Brant Daugherty for Richard. For Karen I thought Kylie Bunbury. Those dimples! And for Victor I thought Michael Ealy. Boy has some beautiful eyes :)

For the other titans (I'm not sure who all I'm going to bring in just yet, but just in case this is my opinion for the others.)

For aqualad I was thinking Ezra Miller. For Speedy I was thinking Chace Crawford, pretty much a playboy type. I thought Grey Damon for Kid Flash (With red hair, of course). For Terra I was thinking Ashley Benson, and for Jinx I was thinking Karlie Kloss.

Also, Luke would be played by Liam Hemsworth.

Sooo let me know your opinions on the cast, and if you have any ideas lemme know.

Alsoo I picked out some pictures that I think really embody each character. I've made a tumblr for the pictures so if you want to see them to get a better idea of what I envision the link will be posted on my profile.

Feedback is always appreciated, as always!

Thanks,

Meg

Gar POV

Garfield stared at Richard from his seat, mouth agape. "Are you serious?" He sputtered, standing as well, his hands coming down on the table. "You're willing to just give up on family like that?" His voice was low and angry.

"You are _not_ my family."

"Look around Dick. Who else do you have? We've been the ones that were there for you through everything. _Everything._" Garfield said, leaning against the table. He tried to control his anger.

"You've also been the one to backstab me and-"

"Richard!" Raven stood up too and glared at him. "We need to talk."

He stared at her for a second before crossing his arms. "I really don't feel like talking."

"Did you think I was asking?" She deadpanned, her classic stoic expression taking over. Dick studied her for a second and then relented.

"Fine." He muttered, before pushing his chair in and walking out the door. Raven glanced back at Vic and Gar, both equally grim, before following him.

"You about to be a 'fly on the wall'?" Vic asked quietly, looking down at his green friend.

"Should I? It's an invasion of privacy.." Gar replied as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Dude if you don't then I'm turning up my hearing. I gotta hear what they're saying." Vic smirked down at him.

Gar sighed, and turned into a fly. He flew out of the room and down the hall to the parlor room on his left. There was a billiards table and a large screen T.V., along with several leather couches and arm chairs. There was a stereo system along the far wall, next to the balcony doors.

Raven was sitting on top of the billiards table, her small legs swinging beneath her. Richard was standing a few feet away from her, head bowed and listening. Garfield knew if he got too close Raven would be able to sense him even in his tiny fly state, so he flew up to the corner of the room and watched.

"This is out of control. You are out of control." Raven's hushed voice sounded wary. "There is too much going on right now and none of us need this."

"So you expect me to pretend this is all ok?" He muttered, rubbing his forehead in thought.

"You need to do what you need to do to be ok with how things are now." She replied, her voice was low and tired.

"How can I be?" He was staring into her eyes unwaveringly. She stared back at him in silence for a few seconds, the moment lost between the two of them.

"What is this about, Richard? You're better than this, so much better than this. I've never known you to let your feelings get in the way of a mission." She crossed her arms and watched him. He had worry lines creasing his forehead.

"Rae... I don't know. I.. things have been so difficult lately. I think I've really lost Kori this time." He replied, dropping his head to his hand and sighing. "I fucked up."

"You can't take this out on us. We are your family. We will help you through anything and you know that. But this has got to stop." She studied him for a moment before sliding off the table and coming to stand next to him. She wrapped an arm around his waist and leaned her head against his chest. He rested his chin on her head and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I know you. Better than anyone. You've always been here for me and I will never forget that." She whispered against his chest and he sighed into her hair. "Let us help you, let us be there for you like you have for us. You've never let anyone close, you've always handled your problems on your own. We can do this together."

He pulled back and looked down at her. He brought a hand up and cupped her cheek, rubbing his thumb along the corner of her lips.

"How on earth would I live without you." He murmured to her, his eyes getting lost in hers.

"You'd go crazy. But you're never going to have to live without me. You're my best friend, we share a bond. No matter what happens we're gonna be here for each other. Because that's what _family_ is." She replied, letting a smile take over her face.

"I don't know if I'll ever not love you, Rae." He replied, his hand moving from her cheek to run through her hair. "It's hard to believe we've made it through everything."

"We have. And we will continue to make it but you know things have to change." She paused and brought her hand up to his chest, fidgeting with the Nightwing symbol. "You're gonna have to talk to him."

"I.. know." He replied, dropping his hand from her hair to rest on her hip. He pulled at the edge of her suit by her thigh absentmindedly. "I know I do. But there's so much that needs to be said and I don't know where to begin. And you're right. The past is the past and I need to forgive him for Babs. But right now.. he's got you." His eyes dropped down to her lips and she sucked in a breath. "And I'm so .. so stupid with jealousy." He finished, looking back into her eyes. She dropped her hands to his chest and pushed a bit, putting a few more inches of distance between them.

"I know, I can feel it on you." She replied, her voice a whisper. She stared at the carpet, running her foot along the pattern. "Once you and Kori fix things, you'll feel differently."

"Maybe." He replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "But what if I don't? I don't want to have regrets looking back on this."

"Things are different. Let it be, Dick." She said and she rubbed her arms for warmth.

He frowned and stepped closer. "Are you cold?" He asked.

"It's freezing in this place. All the drafty halls.." She said, looking up at him. He reached a hand out and cupped her cheek again. He stepped closer and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You should go. I've got some things to take care of and then we're all going to meet in the cave for a briefing." He held her face in both his hands.

She held his gaze for a moment, and then nodded and pulled away. She walked over to the door and paused, "We'll figure it all out. We'll be ok." She said before disappearing out the door.

Garfield followed her all the way back to her room, where she threw herself down onto the bed and curled up with her pillow. She let out a shaky breath and closed her eyes.

"You ok?" Garfield asked from his place near the window.

"Shit!" She bolted upright in bed and stared at him, startled.

"See, it's not that great when the shoe's on the other foot now is it?" He asked before moving to sit next to her on the bed.

"Yeah, I can see where it might be a little... obnoxious."

"A little"

"But then again, so is eavesdropping on people's conversations." She replied, a hint of a smile on her face.

"You knew?"

"Gar, I'm so in tune with you there's no way I wouldn't be able to feel you. I can feel you a mile away."

".. Things are never simple with us, are they?" He mumbled. She walked over and draped her arm over his shoulders.

"Simple? Hell no. Worth it? Fuck yes." She said, giving him a kiss on his cheek.

He grinned, though things seemed bleak right now, for the first time since arriving at the Wayne Mansion Garfield felt ok.


	31. Chapter 28

Hey guys! Don't forget to check out the tumblr page for the story!

I've been listening to Not Over You by The Spill Canvas for this chapter, check it out if you're interested, it's a pretty good song :)

Also, I suppose I need to say I do not own Bioshock or any of the games associated with, and neither do I have any rights over Xbox.

Thanks!

Rae's POV

Raven and Garfield made their way to the game room on the 3rd floor where Victor was currently playing Bioshock 2 on the Xbox 360 (which was one of 4 gaming systems in the game room). Garfield plopped down on the couch next to Vic and tuned into the game, nodding appreciatively at the cybernetic mans progress. Raven stood near the couch with her arms crossed, watching the two men engrossed in the game. Raven studied Garfield's profile; his strong jaw and unruly hair, his sloping nose and thick eyebrows. Sometimes she felt like she'd never seen anybody so handsome. She couldn't help the smile that played across her lips as she thought about his bedroom eyes staring at her at night, and his rough hands that could somehow be soft and gentle just for her..

"Rae?" Vic asked, a smile on his face in amusement.

"Uh, Yes?" She replied sheepishly.

"You're staring." He said, and his laugh rumbled as he went back to playing his video game.

_'shit_.' Raven thought to herself. She glanced back up and saw Gar staring at her with an unreadable expression.

"Hey didn't the 3rd one come out recently?" She asked, trying to change the subject. She pushed her hair behind her ear and scooted so she was seated on the arm of the couch.

"Yeah, I've already beaten it. Honestly though I like the first two better. It's something about the creepy vibes" He said and then, glancing up at Raven, he said, "You'd probably be pretty in to it."

"Why, because I'm creepy?" She quipped, crossing her arms.

"Eh, I think you're good as sunshine Rae, but you gotta admit you kinda err on the side of darkness."

"So?" She asked, rolling her eyes. She smirked, unseen by both men.

"Shit, there's a spider slicer be careful!" Gar exclaimed, his hands gripping his knees as he became engrossed in the game.

"Gahh!" Victor cried out as the splicer attacked and he died. "Damn." He said, dropping the controller to the couch and pouting a bit.

"So close, man, so close." Gar said, patting the older man's shoulder and shaking his head.

"Yeah well, there's always next time." Victor smiled. Just then all three of their communicators went off. They all opened them and Richard's face crackled with static.

_'It's time, everyone meet in the batcave._' He said and then the transmission shut off.

"You think his mood's any better?" Vic asked, standing and stretching. Garfield glanced at Raven.

"Who knows. Hopefully we can just get through this mission as smoothly as.. possible?" Garfield sighed, knowing smooth was far from possible.

The three made their way down to the basement and through the secret tunnels that led to the batcave. The trip was silent, none of them wanted to bring up what was most pressing. If Luke really was what he said he was, if he really had all the resources he said he had, then their was not much the Titans could do. If his ties went as deep as he had claimed, then not only was his whole company corrupt, but most likely the corporations he was partners with were too. Not to mention Gotham's finest head detectives, all good personal friends of Luke's. Raven had to admit his connections were extensive. And if they were all in with Brother Blood, and who knew who else, then this was not a job for just the 4 of them.

And they all knew it.

But, they had faced the end of the world. They had faced death, each of them, and come out on the other side still standing. But taking down an entire brotherhood, not to mention a government, was new territory. The law had always been on their sides. Catching bad guys, stopping villains; this was what they did. And the thought that the very government they served was corrupt... well that was enough to drive any of them insane.

"Look, I didn't wanna say anything because I know Dick is running this, but I called Karen. I think we could really use her help. She's driving down, she should be here any minute. I've let her know to meet us in the cave." Victor said, breaking the silence. Raven looked up at the man on her right and nodded.

"We can use all the help we can get." She said.

They arrived in the cave and saw Dick facing a large computer screen with a map, several pictures of various suspects, and some sticky notes scattered across the table below the screen. He turned when they entered, giving them a tense smile.

"Ok team. I've got a file for each of you that I've spent the past few days preparing. The most important thing here is to find out how serious Luke's threat actually was. To do that, we're gonna need to do some digging first. I've already done some myself, and everything I've come up with points to Luke being exactly what he said he was. A corporate god with Gotham's underbelly in his back pocket." Richard began passing out the files. The young man learned from the best, and he was certainly shaping up to be a great detective. His skills were exactly what they needed for a case like this. He was determined, which was the Richard Raven knew and loved. This Richard wouldn't let anything get in the way of the mission, and this Richard would stop at nothing to protect his family.

"So where do we start, guys?" A feminine voice came from behind them all. They all turned to see Karen standing there, arms crossed and hip cocked, a grin on her pretty face. Her eyes lit up when she saw Vic and she flew forward, placing a delicate kiss on his cheek. "How ya been, sparky?" She asked as Vic grabbed her tightly for a hug.

"Missing you, as always." He replied, his face buried in her shoulder. He let out a big sigh and he couldn't hide his smile.

"Good to have you here, Bee." Richard said and he smiled at her. "It's been a long time."

"Years, I'd say!" She replied.

"Your christmas cards are always appreciated." He quipped.

Karen smiled and nodded. "Course."

"Anyways, I'll have to make up another file for you, but it shouldn't take too long." He paused, sifting through some papers on the table before turning back to them. "Karen, I'm putting you in charge of attack strategies. You're fast, and strong. We will use you most during an outright battle. If, and when, it comes to that, I'll need you up to date on your gear." Richard stated, picking up a file on the table and flipping through it.

"I'm sorry Dick, but I won't be able to do that." Karen said quietly, her hand unconsciously moving to her stomach. Richard's eyes darted up to her face and he cocked an eyebrow, confusion apparent on his features.

"Huh? How come Bee?" Vic asked, turning to his wife quizzically.

"Vic... I'm pregnant." She murmured, reaching out to touch his cheek. Victor's jaw dropped and his eyes widened.

"How... how is that even possible? I've been gone for more than a month!" He sputtered at her, his shoulders shaking slightly.

"I wasn't sure at first, and I didn't want to distract you while you were in Japan. But it must have happened right before you left. I.. I've been waiting to tell you.. when the time was right.." She replied, her brows furrowing as she fiddled with her hands.

"Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?" He asked, reaching out to still her fluttering hands. She looked up at him, her eyes beginning to glisten with tears.

"Vic, she is. I can feel it, the baby.." Raven said quietly, her eyes shifting from Karen to Vic.

Vic let out a breath and stared at Karen for a moment, before a massive smile split across his face. "This is.. this is wonderful!" He exclaimed, picking Karen up and spinning her around. Karen let out a surprised squeal and then a she broke into a fit of laughter. Vic set her down and, taking her face in his hands, gave her a crushing kiss.

Raven, Garfield and Richard looked on, each smiling. Garfield was the first to say something.

"Sooo, have you guys thought of any names yet?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. "Not to, you know, sway you in any way or anything, but Garfield's a pretty great name."

Victor laughed and looked at his friend "Dude, _you_ don't even like your name, and you expect me to saddle my kid with it? Fat chance green bean."

Gar pouted, "Maybe a middle name, then?" He asked, eyes hopeful.

Karen giggled and wrapped an arm around Vic. "We'll talk about it." She replied, she could barely contain her smile.

"Well look, as happy as this moment is, and really I am truly happy for the both of you, we have a crazed corporate mogul to stop." Richard interjected, his mouth was set in a grim line. He wasn't happy about having to interrupt this moment.

Both Vic and Karen nodded before turning back to the screen in front of them.

"I guess since Karen can't be on active duty, you'll just have to be on research. Set up shop in here and keep us posted in the field." Richard said logically. His worry lines had returned as he thought about the idea of Karen losing the baby in battle. There was no way he would let that happen.

"Ok, but don't forget boy wonder, I can still kick your ass, pregnant or not!" She retorted playfully, "I am not fragile, just.. pregnant." She shrugged and leaned against the table. She hated not being able to be part of the fight. Richard chuckled amiably.

"I know Karen, I know." He smiled at her, and then turned to Raven and Garfield. "Logically, I want to put you two together on this. But I need to be sure there won't be a repeat of... the Beast. That's what landed us in this mess in the first place."

"The Beast is what _saved_ me, Dick. He didn't cause this, me being too dense to sense that I was dating a psychopath is what got us here." Raven said, her glare burning onto Richard's face. Richard sighed.

"Look, I just need to know that you won't lose control." He said, looking at Gar. His muscles tensed almost imperceptibly. But Raven knew him all too well to not notice the subtle nuances. His strong, square jaw was clenched.

"I will protect Raven, at any cost." He replied, staring Richard down. "You know you would do the same." Richard's eyes shifted to Raven, his expression pensive as an emotion she couldn't identify flicked across his face. And then it was gone just as soon as it had come, and it was replaced with his no-nonsense glare.

"I would. The difference is me protecting her wouldn't cause unpredictable deaths."

"Guys-" Raven started.

"I can handle myself, Dick." Gar said, cutting Raven off. Richard held his steely gaze for a few moments.

"Don't make me regret this, Logan." He replied, turning back to the computer screen. He put his hands on the table and leaned his weight forward onto his arms. "So Raven and Gar will be in charge of recon. I've been able to pick up a couple leads with some light digging, so start there. Vic, you're with me." He paused, looking pensively at the screen before he turned to face the metal man. "We're taking a trip to Tamaran." He finished, an unreadable expression on his face. Victor tried to suppress his smile.

"Does that mean what I think it means?" He asked hesitantly. Richard met his eyes and nodded slowly.

"It's time I make things right." He replied. "Plus, we're gonna need her."

The look on Richard's face told Raven he was right, but the worry ebbing at the back of her mind was dwarfed by the prospect of seeing her friend again.

"Here's to a Titans reunion!" Gar exclaimed as he draped one arm over Raven's shoulders, and the other over Vic's.

Just then, Raven felt Richard's mind reaching out to hers.

_'You better be right.' _He said through their bond. There was a finality to his voice that almost worried her. _'Fixing this better make make me get over you.'_

_'I hope you will.'_ She replied. She really did. She could only hope Kori would take him back and end this entire mess.

Things were about to get very, very interesting.


	32. Author's Note 4

Hey guys, just another author's note!

I realized, thanks to a reviewer, that my last chapter wasn't very clear.

Luke's connections run deep, through not only the corporate world but the government too. I touched on it briefly by mentioning that some of his close friends were head detectives. I guess I really didn't explain exactly what that meant. But more or less, Luke has Gotham/Bludhaven PD in the palm of his hands. This will manifest in many ways. This makes it so Luke can be above the law to do what he needs to do with Brother Blood. I will make sure to try to explain things better, sometimes I write so fast that I forget not everyone knows what's in my head!

Thanks for all your patience with me! Please continue to review and leave me your opinions, I love to hear what you guys think.

Also, be sure to check out the tumblr page ( .com ) for more info about the story, including cast pictures and costume choices.

-Meg


	33. Chapter 29

Ok so for this chapter (And possibly some others, depending on how I'm feeling) the point of view will be from Richard's perspective. I thought about continuing with the Raven/Garfield only thing, but I really wanna write about Dick/Vic's trip to Tamaran to get Starfire. So, for the purpose of, well, my writing enjoyment, this chapter is gonna be a little different :) Hopefully, you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. Also, I'm hoping this will give everyone a look inside Dick's mind, and give a little insight as to why he's been acting the way he has. Poor RIchard is so misunderstood! Anywho, if you like hearing things from Richard, or would like to hear things from the other Titan's perspectives, let me know. Likewise, if you would rather continue only hearing from Raven and Garfield, let me know that as well :)

As always, continue to review, I love hearing everyone's opinions! And be sure to check out the tumblr page for the story (Link is located on my profile page) for extra updates and such. Also, if there are things you'd like to see on the tumblr page that are not there (LIke say, outfits for the characters, or Garfield's motorcycle, etc) you can either pm me, leave a review, or leave an ask on the tumblr page itself!

Thanks for sticking with me this long, we've got a ways to go before this story is wrapped up!

-Meg

Richard's POV

Richard was standing next to the T-Ship (Which Vic had flown in specially for them to take to Tamaran) in the batcave's hanger. He was zipping up his flight suit over his uniform when the others walked in, Victor leading them. Vic had an arm around Karen's shoulders, and the other holding his helmet. Raven and Garfield were walking a couple paces behind them, whispering to each other.

"You ready, Dick?" Vic asked, a bright smile on his face.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Richard replied. He glanced at Raven and gave her a tiny smile. Raven pushed her hair behind her ear, and Richard tried to ignore the fluttering in his stomach at the sight of her lips turning up in the tiniest Raven-esque smile. He pulled himself out of his daze and pulled on his boots. Vic was lowering the ramp to the ship so they could board when Richard finished getting ready.

"All right ya'll! We'll be back before you know it!" Victor said as he grabbed Karen in a bone-crushing hug, lifting her off her feet. Richard, smiling, turned towards Gar and Raven. Raven glanced up at him and stepped forward, her large purple eyes drawing him in. Raven suddenly grabbed him and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his shoulder, both her arms securely around his neck.

"Bring our girl back, Dick. Bring Kori _home_." She whispered into his ear. Richard lightly rubbed her back, and she let go, putting arms length distance between them. Richard held her gaze for a moment, nodding slightly to her, before he looked up at Gar. Their eyes met and Dick felt a pang of sadness and.. regret. He tried to give Gar a reassuring smile, but he knew it barely registered on his face. Gar gave him a tiny smile and nodded, as if he understood that was the most Richard could give him right now. Richard turned back to the ship and sighed.

"Well guys, hold down the fort till we get back. We're counting on you!" Vic said to the others, before moving past Richard and up the stairs, disappearing into the depths of the T-ship. Richard walked over and grabbed onto the railing, turning back once to look at Raven again, and then continued his way into the ship.

Once they were inside Victor pushed the button to raise the stairs. Victor took the spot at the head of the ship as pilot, and Richard settled into the seat next to him.

"Look man, it's gonna be a long ride. We can take turns piloting, but if you wanna sleep you should. We won't be there for a while." Vic said, pushing buttons on the control panels and grabbing the wheel. Richard nodded, and reclined his seat, though he doubted he would be able to sleep at all. He felt the ship incline and buckled his seat as he felt the ship shake as it took off. Richard put headphones in and zoned out.

He knew he had many faults, one of which being that he told the love of his life that he didn't love her any more... just to _protect_ her. Maybe Raven was right. Maybe it was wrong of him. But somehow breaking her heart that way had seemed better than dragging her down with a dying relationship. Richard was logical. RIchard payed attention to facts. Richard was never good with love, because love was not logical. love made no damn sense. The problem was that Kori always saw him exactly how he was. And it unnerved him. Raven related to him, Raven understood him. Raven even sympathized with him. Raven was a kindred spirit. But she never _saw _him. She never got the whole picture. He could always hide from her if he needed to, because she always respected his boundaries. She always let him be when he wanted to be left alone. But Kori... Kori held him to a different standard. And as such, she never gave up when he told her to leave him alone. Kori pushed him, and pulled him, and forced his walls down and his heart open and he let her. Kori was a force of nature; vibrant, beautiful, unwaveringly honest.. And in turn she kept him honest. Maybe he would have been content to stay with Raven, not because he loved her more than Kori, but because he was scared. Kori made him vulnerable, while Raven gave him space.

And he knew very well that made him a coward.

...

The ship jostled and shook Richard awake. He bolted upright in his seat and looked at Vic, his headphones popping out of his ears.

"Shit! Did I fall asleep?" He asked, rubbing at his face.

"Yeah man, you were asleep after about a half hour. Musta been tired too, cause you've been snoring up a storm!" Vic laughed at the smaller man next to him.

"Damn, how long was I out?" Richard replied, standing to stretch. He reached his arms over his head and yawned.

"Bout 4 hours." Vic said. Richard blanched.

"Are you serious? How was I out for 4 hours?" Richard exclaimed. He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head.

"Man I don't know, maybe you haven't been sleeping well lately. I know I wouldn't if I were you." Vic said, mumbling the last part.

"What's that supposed to mean, Vic?" Richard asked, taken aback by his friends response.

"It's just that this thing with Kori is messed up. And you haven't exactly been acting kosher towards Rae either." Vic said, turning auto-pilot on and turning to Dick. "And look, I know shit like this is complicated. I'm your friend, I'm not here to judge. But you have to understand that this is a damn mess and everyone knows it."

Richard sighed and nodded. He knew Vic was right. About everything.

"You know what's the most messed up?" Dick asked, and Vic nodded, waiting for him to continue. "It's that I really do love them both. And I've ruined it with both of them."

"You have a chance to fix things with Star." Vic stated, "Now Raven, on the other hand, you need to let go of." Vic eyed Richard warily, making sure his words sunk in.

"I.. know. Look I really wasn't trying to fuck with her life Vic, I just.. I just got so damn jealous. It was stupid, you don't have to tell me how much of an ass I was, because I sure as shit know it." RIchard grabbed a water from the mini-fridge and plopped back down in his seat. He opened the bottle and took a big sip before tossing it to Vic, who took an equally as big sip.

"Just as long as you know how uncool that was." Vic said, putting the bottle down. "If you weren't, well, you, I would have kicked your ass for pulling the shit you did with Rae. I mean really, what were you thinking?"

"Did she tell you?" Richard asked, slightly annoyed.

"She didn't have to. It was all over both your faces. All it took was some digging to figure out what you'd been up to. Don't forget man, I fuckin' know you guys. I didn't live with ya'll for that long to come out a stranger."

"Damn." Richard said, resting his elbow on the arm rest and plopping his head into his hand. He rolled his eyes, "And here I thought I was a master at masking my emotions."

"Not without that damn mask man, it's like you're an open book!" Vic replied, chuckling softly. "Look, we still got another 4 or 5 hours until we get there, and I need a break. You ok flying this thing? I know it's been a few years-"

"Yeah, I got it. Go take a nap. I'll wake you when we're there." Vic nodded and both men got up to switch seats.

_'Here's to the long haul' _Richard muttered to himself as he took the steering wheel and turned off auto-pilot.

_'T-minus 4 hours until I have to win her back...'_


	34. Chapter 30

Gar's POV

"Is this file serious? We're looking for Jinx?" Raven asked incredulously. She and Gar were sitting in one of Richard's many cars, this particular one being an Audi R8. She was thumbing through the massive file Richard had given them regarding their mission and she pulled out a picture that was paper clipped to the inside of the folder. It showed Jinx, but she had tan skin and cropped blonde hair (similar to Madame Rouge's, Raven noted), her eyes still a mystifying shade of pink, only with normal pupils. "Cy must've made her a ring too, looks like" Gar said, glancing at the picture Raven was holding. "Looks like." Raven murmured. She stared at Jinx's cocky smirk, her confidence was intimidating.

"Last I heard she and Wally were still in Jump." Gar said as he pushed the car's key into the ignition and started it up. The engine hummed to life, and classical music softly petered from the speakers. "Figures," Gar said, glancing at the dash, "Richard would be listening to Chopin. Can he be any more-"

"His music taste is of no importance." Raven interrupted, earning a stare from Gar. "Ok I do have to admit that is very.. Richard of him. But let's just focus!" Raven retorted frustratedly. Gar gave her a look that said 'Whatever, crazy' and turned back to the front, grabbing the wheel. He put the car in drive and pulled out of the Wayne's massive garage, peeling down the driveway.

"So where are we going, exactly?" He asked. Raven looked back down at the file.

"You're really gonna love this." She stifled a chuckle and glanced back up at him.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. She's working at a daycare." Raven deadpanned. Garfield stopped the car abruptly and turned to Raven, the smile dancing in his eyes.

"No fuckin' way. Jinx? With kids?" He couldn't help the laugh that broke through his tight lipped smile.

"_Right_?" Raven exclaimed, shaking her head and smiling as well. "Sunny Side Daycare Center. That's where we'll find her."

Gar punched the address into the built in gps, and then stepped on the gas. Gar had a lead foot, and didn't really believe in breaking unless absolutely necessary. And, with Richard's super fancy car, it was easy to go fast. Raven held on to the edges of her seat and closed her eyes, more out of annoyance than fear. after about 15 minutes of driving in silence, Gar attempted to talk.

"So.. are we gonna talk about the Richard thing?" Gar asked casually, not wanting to start a fight.

"Are you gonna stop driving like a maniac?" Raven quipped, her tone a shade away from snarky. Gar slowed down to a reasonable 50 in a 45 area, and glanced at her expectantly.

"What do you want to know?" Raven asked, opening her eyes and settling herself.

"I guess I just want to know why you felt like you had to hide that from me."

"I didn't feel ... I just thought.. I don't know. None of my excuses are reasonable. I thought you would be upset, and I didn't want you to be. With me, at least. I don't know Gar, I guess I was just being selfish. You've always thought so highly of me and-"

"Rae that doesn't change because you slept with my friend. It changes because you _lied_."

"I know that, I'm sorry.. I just didn't want to explain it all, it's all so complicated. I don't even understand what really happened myself. I think we were just two extremely similar people that... found comfort in each other. He.. we... I don't know how to explain this." She was rambling, trying to catch her breath and make sense at the same time.

"I know, I got it. I just.. I want to know.. why him? Why couldn't you come to me?" He asked, watching her through the rear view mirror.

"It wasn't that simple."

"Then make it simple. For me."

"He.. Richard understood me in a way that I didn't feel like you could, at the time, at least. I thought you wouldn't.. get why I was upset."

"We were all upset, Rae. Surely you knew that."

"I did. But I.. He and I had our bond, and he could understand, and he was dealing with his own issues.. and we just.. I don't know..."

Gar turned his head and stared at her fully now, unable to contain his emotions.

"The thing that hurts the most, Rae, is not that you slept with him. But that you slept with him over me. You slept with him because it was easy, because he was there. But I was there too. You just didn't know it. You never tried to.. understand. You held your little crush in and never told me and so you never knew. And that's what hurts." He turned back to the road and clenched his jaw.

Raven sat there watching him in silence. She knew he was right. She knew she could have came to him. But somehow she couldn't make herself regret her choice.

"What?" Gar asked, after she had been staring for awhile.

"It's just.. you're right. But you are also wrong." She replied, earning a glare from him. "I loved him, at one point. For all the wrong reasons, but I did. I loved him, but I trusted him more than I loved him. And that's why I came to him. Not because it was easy, though it was. But because I knew I could trust him with anything."

"And you couldn't with me?"

"That's not the point. You asked me why him. I told you."

"... Fine." He said, eyes staring blankly at the road in front of him. Suddenly he pulled down a random alleyway and stopped the car. He got out and slammed the door, walking away a few steps before turning and, letting out an animalistic growl, slamming his fist into the brick building next to them. Even from her seat in the car she could tell he broke his hand, so she jumped out of the car and ran out to him.

"What is wrong with you!" She hissed, grabbing his arm to look at his hand.

"..Fuck." Was all he said, refusing to look at her. He stared away down the street at nothing in particular. Raven sighed and began to heal his hand.

"That was stupid." She said angrily. "So unbelievably stupid, Gar. What the hell is wrong with you?" She asked, her hands slightly shaking from trying to control herself.

"I'm stupid, right? Right? You think I'm dense, and I'm unpredictable, and I'm angry all the goddamn time, and you can't begin to understand-"

"You think you're the only one with issues?"

"NO! That's my point! I'm not, but I seem to be the only one acknowledging it! You just hide and pretend you don't have any, Raven, but you fucking do! I know, because I'm caught up in them! I'm in your little fucked up world and you're calling the shots just like you've always been!" He all but yelled at her, yanking his almost completely healed hand out of her grasp. At this point he only had severe bruising and a few cuts.

Raven recoiled at his words and stared at him, her face a mask of emotionlessness.

"And there you go again! Pretending you don't fucking feel! Well I know you do, I know you're just as fucked up as I am, and I know you feel like I do. So what, you slept with him! I don't actually care! I care that you chose him over me, I care that you lied about it! I care that you don't seem to understand how much that hurts! And I care that you felt like you could trust him more than me!" He finished, turning away from her and throwing his arms up in the air, "Fuck it." He muttered.

"I'm.. sorry.."

"Is that all you have to say?" He asked, turning slightly to look at her. She looked shell-shocked by his outburst. She looked dumbfounded, like he had told her something unreal. He sighed and shook his head, looking down at his feet. "Forget it, Raven. Let's just get back to the mission." He began walking back to the car, but her hand reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"I don't know how to change." She said, watching him. Her face concealing every emotion, but he knew her better than that. He knew there was so much under the surface.

"I know. But you have to start somewhere." He said. She was still holding onto his arm, but her grip had softened.

"Will you show me? How you do it?"

His heart softened at her words. "Rae.. That's not something I can teach you. That's something you have to figure out for yourself."

"I don't know what to do to fix this.."

"I know." Was all he said.

They stood like that for a moment, before she dropped his arm and together, they walked back to the car.


	35. Chapter 31

Ok guys! I just wanted to let you all know what's been up recently. Though I have tried to sit down to write it has been difficult because I am soooo busy. I had my orientation for college yesterday, and I move in on thursday. This past week or so have been more than a little crazy with getting ready for everything, and I'm not sure when the craziness will settle. I've half-written about 3 different chapters, plus all of the epilogue (Which is a ways off, but it just came to me and I had to write it haha), so when I finally get the chance to sit down I'll be able to put out a lot at once. I'm sorry for the wait, I promise I'll be back as soon as I get settled!

While you wait, I have a short-ish chapter for you!

Thanks,

Meg

P.S. Don't forget to check the tumblr (Link on my profile) for lots of extras about the story!

Rae's POV

The rest of the drive was silent, save for Garfield quietly singing along to the radio. They pulled up to a tiny brick building with yellow shutters, and a large sign in the shape of a sun that read : Sunny Side Day Care Center. Raven and Gar both slipped on their rings. Raven glanced at Gar, his tan skin and blonde hair still unfamiliar to her, before stepping out of the car and looking down at the file again. She looked up to see Gar standing next to her, looking over her shoulder to read the file. His animal reflexes made him so quiet she hadn't even heard him move.

"So, Jinx's alias is Jenna?" He asked, and when he spoke she felt his breath lightly against her neck.

"Um, yes. Says she's been working here for 3 years." Raven replied, flipping the file closed and turning around, finding herself face to face with Gar. They both stared at each other in silence for a moment.

"Erm. So, should we go in?" Gar asked as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Raven nodded and walked up to the daycare. She pushed the glass door open, and a little bell _dinged! _in response. A girl with red hair popped her head around the corner of the door to the break room and smiled at them.

"How are ya'll doing today?" She asked, her smile so wide it practically split her face in half. She had the tiniest southern accent, and she naturally spoke fast. She had a million little freckles and a plethora of ringlets that were haphazardly tied into a messy bun. Her hazel eyes were bright as she walked up to shake their hands.

"We're good" Garfield spoke as he shook her hand.

"Wonderful! My name's Haley! Are you interested in enrolling a child in our care?" She asked and reached behind her to the welcome desk to grab some paperwork.

"Oh, no, sorry. We are actually here to talk to someone. Is Jenna working today?" Raven replied, brushing hair out of her face. Haley turned around to look at them, her curls bouncing, and smiled.

"'Course! Let me go get her." Haley said before disappearing into the break room. Raven glanced at Gar. He had barely acknowledged her since the fight, and he showed no signs of that changing any time soon. Raven let out a small sigh. Just then 'Jenna' Came around the corner.

"Hello, I heard you two were..." She stopped when she realized who it was. "So. Is this the Titan's way of checking up on me?" She asked, crossing her arms. She had a hint of a smile, but she was clearly annoyed. When she had left the Titans to lead a normal life with Wally there was some question to her loyalty. She openly denied any connections she still had to Blood and the H.I.V.E., but Richard had been skeptical, as he always was.

"We actually wanted to talk to you about Brother Blood." Gar said. Jinx's face fell almost imperceptibly.

"We'll I haven't been in contact with him since I left the H.I.V.E. to join you guys." Jinx said, but she fidgeted with the hem of her deep purple dress.

"What about Luke Beckett?" Garfield asked.

"Never heard of him." Jinx said, but her voice tightened noticeably.

"We have reason to believe otherwise." Raven countered. Jinx's eyes darted to look at Raven's face.

"Well that's nice, but it isn't true." Jinx said wryly.

"Look, Jin- Jenna. We really need your help." Gar said, taking a step closer, as Jinx took a step back. She bumped against the welcome desk lightly and her gaze faltered.

"I can't help you guys. I'm sorry." She said, and she turned to go but Raven threw up a shield of black energy, blocking her exit. Jinx turned back to them angrily. "You really do not want to start something with me, Raven." She hissed, her cheeks reddening with anger. Raven let out a breath and shook her head.

"You're right, I don't. But you have information we need." Raven replied, dropping the shield. Jinx's posture straightened and she rolled her eyes.

"I have nothing that could help you, I promise."

"Now, I'm sure that's not true." Garfield said, eyeing Jinx.

"Please, guys, just go. I can't hep you." Jinx pleaded, her voice raising an octave.

"You need to tell us what you know, Jinx!"

"I don't need to tell you anything, _witch_!"

"Well isn't that just the pot caling-"

"Girls. Come on-"

"I can't help you!" Jinx exclaimed angrily.

"Can't, or won't?" Raven asked. She was trying to keep her emotions in check, but a stack of papers knocked over and fluttered to the ground as she spoke. Jinx clenched her fists and glanced at the papers warily.

"There are children in the next room. Keep yourself under control." Jinx bit out, her teeth clenched and her eyes narrowing at Raven.

"Just tell us what you know and we can be on our way." Garfield said, keeping an eye on Raven. "When was the last time Blood contacted you?"

"Before the Titans."

"That's a lie." Garfield replied, his voice calm but there was an edge. Jinx stared him down.

"No, it's not."

"Then why do we have transmission records that state otherwise?" He countered.

"That's.. I.."

"Why don't you just be honest, Jinx?"

"Please, there's nothing I can-"

"Bullshit." Raven spat, but then she felt a wave of emotion coming off of Jinx that she hadn't expected. Fear.

Raven stopped and stared at Jinx, who had paled significantly. "Why are you afraid, Jinx?" Jinx's eyes shot up to Raven's face and she blanched.

"I.. those transmissions weren't on purpose... They were wire tapping.. spying on me.." She paused, fidgeting with her hands. "I never contacted them, but the transmissions were from the wire in my apartment. Wally and I had no idea... for awhile." As she said this, Raven felt Jinx's presence in her mind. Raven tried to fight her back.

"Why didn't you tell anyone? Why didn't you ask for help?" Gar asked and crossed his arms.

"We wanted a normal life. Involving the Titans would have ruined that. We wanted to disappear." It was clear she was holding back, that she knew more than she was saying, but Raven couldn't understand why.

"If you knew you were being watched why didn't you-" Gar started angrily. Suddenly, Jinx forced herself into Raven's mind, and Raven clenched her eyes shut at the pain. Garfield didn't notice, his full attention was on Jinx as she interrupted him.

"Listen guys, I've known for awhile that I was being watched. Apparently defecting the way I did to the Titans put me on a.. list of sorts. But I've worked really hard to establish this life for myself; it's taken a long time to get to a point where I felt safe. And I do not need you coming around stirring things up for me! So do everyone a favor and _back off_. You won't find anything, Luke is untouchable. This ends, here." Her eyes were on Raven as she replied. Then, turning on her heel, she walked away. The door slammed behind her, and Raven looked at Gar pointedly.

"Well.. that was a bust." Gar sighed, his arms dropping to his sides, defeated. Raven shook her head, but smirked.

"Not entirely." She said quietly, and grabbed Gar's hand, leading him out to the car. Once they were safe inside, Raven turned to him.

"Jinx reached out to my mind while we were in there." Raven said, squinting as she remembered what Jinx had shown her telepathically.

"What was it?" Gar exclaimed.

"Just an image."

"Of?"

"A building. I think she wants us to go there." Raven paused. "I think... I think it might be where we will find Blood."

"_Holy shit_.."

"Yeah, I know."


End file.
